25 years of Campos Racing: an indelible legacy and a promising future

In January 2021, Adrián Campos died, leaving a huge legacy of incalculable value for Spanish motorsport. The former driver and businessman has been a key figure in the rise of Fernando Alonso to reach F1 and has also been decisive in the careers of Marc Gené, Antonio García and Alex Palou, among others. And today, his legacy is alive, more than ever, thanks to the team he built with his efforts and knowledge: Campos Racing. This formation debuted in Nissan’s Open Fortuna in the 1998 season. In 2023, with Adrián in everyone’s memory, his loved ones celebrated its 25th anniversary in the competition with his son, Adrián Jr, at the helm, leading the team based in Alzira (Valencia) to live in best promotion categories with an enviable state of health and a better future.

The work that Adrián Jr has done in recent years has not been easy because of the complexity of the challenge, but also because of the feeling that binds him to a structure in which he has grown after his years as a pilot. “I started to help as much as I could and gain experience. Until recent years I was in charge of the entire sports side of the team until the death of my father,” highlighted Adrián Campos Jr in MD at the beginning of the course.

“I have been by his side for at least 10 years working with the team. Obviously I never expected this to happen. My father is starting to think about taking races in a different way, because he’s entrusted a lot to us. And when what happened to my dad happens, you take a few hits and you have to wake up or wake up. That’s it,” he recalled.

“All the people who make up the team stayed together for many years and we worked very hard. We found ourselves in a rather difficult and complicated situation in that first year because we had several pilots who did not pay . Earning has become difficult. Every month is a test. And on top of that, the pandemic is over and it’s still noticeable,” he revealed.

“There are very difficult moments like in all companies. The situation is very complicated. We signed a driver and when my father died everything fell apart. We had no other option. We didn’t get anything from that driver and we spent the whole year selling individual races, having to undersell sponsorships to survive. And in the end we achieved it. That was the first year, the hardest of all,” he highlighted.

They got out of the hole

“But after working hard, doing things well, the results came and we took a step,” argued at the beginning of the group’s 25th anniversary. The best way to celebrate is in good health thanks to the team’s stability in the best single-seater promotion competitions in the world and its inclusion in new competitions such as Eurocup3 and the women’s F1 Academy competition.

“We went from being present in two championships (Formula 3 and Formula 2) to being present in five this year. “We have increased,” he assured. He achieved all this by fulfilling his father’s wishes. “We tried to follow the roadmap that we set for the coming years with my father. For example, one of the next steps is to enter the Spanish Formula 4 and then try to expand a little and take advantage of other opportunities such as the creation of the F1 Academy. In a racing team, if you only have Formula 2 and Formula 3, your entire business depends on 5 drivers. And if one fails, you will suffer more. However, this year we have 18 pilots. If you miss one, you’re screwed, but not that bad. And that’s the idea.”argued the 35-year-old leader.

“I hope this continues and this 25th anniversary is even better than last year,” he exclaimed. And his wishes came true. The season started in an unparalleled way, with victories for Ralph Boschung in F2 and Pepe Martí in F3 in Saturday’s races in Bahrain. In F2, the Swiss achieved another podium and although he could not be consistent in the points later, the course was generally better than before for the team in the run-up to F1. But above all, Campos made a huge step forward in FIA ​​Formula 3 with a driver that Adrián Campos Sr. is paying attention to.

Adrián Sr’s request to Pepe Martí

“My father knew Pepe Martí very little, but he saw him in some training sessions and had a lot of faith in him. He said that everything started with Fernando Alonso and Antonio García, then he saw him with Alex Palou, and the fourth driver in whom he has great faith is Pepe. he assured. Adrián Jr wanted to fulfill his father’s wish to compete in Spanish Formula 4 with Pepe Martí and he was absolutely right. A few years later, he expects the Barcelonan to fight for the FIA ​​​​F3 title in 2023, as well as for wins, and he finally celebrated having a second-year driver for it. “He is F1 meat. This year he will fight for the title.” And Pepe fought until the last appointment with a chance to win the crown, finishing in the Top-5 in a year in which he shone.

The 18-year-old driver has entered Red Bull’s young talent academy and next year Campos Racing will be able to display the colors of the energy drink on two of its Formula 2 cars, another step in the growth of the Valencian team.

double sceptre

In The F1 Academy, Nerea Martí finished 4th (three podiums and one victory) and in Eurocup3 Campos Racing won the constructors’ title in the inaugural season of said competition and the drivers’ title with Esteban Masson (8 win and two podiums), in addition to conquest another victory with Francesco Fraschi and three more podiums with Inthraphuvasak and Zanfari.

Eurocup3 crowns are the best finish in 25 years of history to gain momentum for a great future. Campos grows and Adrián’s legacy grows.

A family

For Adrián, it is impossible to see Campos Racing as a job. It is more than that. His life and the memory of his father. It is impossible to separate feelings from your work. Lead a team of 70 people including full-time workers, freelancers and subcontractors. All have the same goal: help young talents realize their dream of reaching F1.

“The motorsport market in cars is focused in a way where we can do nothing but provide service to the drivers. They come to us for the best possible service. As long as we are doing our best to make sure that the pilots have the best possible opportunities and have the best tools to show their talent, I am calm because I am doing the best I know. It is true that ultimately a driver’s career depends on the work we do. AND “That’s why we work hard.”argument.

“It’s hard to detach emotionally. You create a great bond with the drivers. We are always in the same boat and we both want the same thing. If the driver wins, the team wins. “We get excited about successes and it makes us sad when things don’t go as they should.”Adrián Campos Jr graduated from MD.

This newspaper is well aware. During many Formula 3 and Formula 2 races, he experienced firsthand the family atmosphere that permeates the team tents, he saw Pepe Martí’s hugs to all his engineers and mechanics at the end of each appointment, no matter what . And his mechanics, never stopping smiling, one of them puts on a funny movie montage in the cabin of the young Christian Mansell at every race. A joke that shows the union that exists in the group. A family made a racing team. One of the best legacies of Adrián Campos.