Rafael Villagómez completed his strongest F2 weekend to date at the 2026 Silverstone Round, adding a Feature Race podium to his Sprint Race top-three finish.
The Van Amersfoort Racing driver used an alternative strategy in Sunday’s race, extending his opening stint before switching to soft tyres late on. That approach allowed him to recover through the field and secure another podium, turning a weekend that began with six championship points into one that ended with 30.
Villagómez says VAR planned strategy after 2026 Silverstone F2 Sprint Race clues
Villagómez, during the post-Feature Race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, explained that Van Amersfoort Racing had already identified the strategy opportunity on Saturday. After seeing how Cian Shields performed on the soft tyre in the Sprint Race, the team built its Feature Race plan around a similar idea.
“Yeah, actually since yesterday, because we saw that yesterday Cian Shields did a strong stint on the softs. So yeah, we planned that. It worked out in the end.”
That preparation proved crucial. Although the strategy depended on pace, tyre management and timing, Villagómez and VAR executed it cleanly when the opportunity opened.
Podium was not the original target
Despite the final result, Villagómez admitted that he had not expected to fight for the podium before the race. Instead, he and the team had focused on consistency and another solid points finish after showing stronger form across the weekend.
“This morning, not really. We’re more aiming for a good result in the points, because like I said yesterday, we’re aiming for a little bit more consistency, but the team did an amazing job with the car, and it was flying. So once I was by myself, it was all about doing the job the best I can. And yeah, I mean, a podium, I’ll take it, of course.”
Once he found clean air, however, the race began to move towards him. Villagómez used the car’s pace effectively, stayed focused on his own execution, and turned what looked like a points opportunity into a much bigger result.
Tyre management shapes extended opening stint
Villagómez also described the management required during the first stint. VAR left him out for a long run, and the Mexican driver had to balance pace with tyre preservation before switching to the soft compound.
“Yeah, there was quite a lot. Obviously, there is stuff we prepared prior to the weekend, managing tyres and where to save, where to push. Of course, because the pace was good, we kept on extending. At the end, with the softs, we could have pitted a little bit early, because the gap was not close enough to Nikolas.”
That stint showed clear progress for VAR, especially after earlier struggles with degradation. Moreover, it gave Villagómez the platform to attack late in the race with fresher tyres.
Villagómez calls Silverstone his best F2 weekend after double podiums
Villagómez described Silverstone as the strongest weekend of his F2 career. He had pace from Practice, showed enough in Qualifying to stay in the mix, and then converted both races into podium finishes.
“It’s definitely the best weekend in my career, I would say, in F2. Since Practice, we’re at the pace. Qualifying… first set was strong, second set, a little bit less. But, you know, once you’re in the mix, you’re in the mix. And then, yesterday a podium, today a podium. Definitely a strong weekend.”
That consistency marked a major step forward. Villagómez had shown promising pace before, but Silverstone allowed him to put together a complete weekend across one-lap performance, race pace and strategy execution.
Mexican pride adds extra motivation for Villagómez at the 2026 F2 Silverstone Round
Villagómez also spoke about the motivation he took from representing Mexico at Silverstone, especially ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Mexico versus England Round of 16 game. After entering the weekend with only six points, he left with a major haul and a renewed sense of momentum.
“I think the motivation was putting the flag of Mexico in an England track. I mean, honestly, that helps, you know? I’m very proud to carry that flag.”
He also praised Silverstone as a circuit and credited the team for giving him a car that worked from the beginning of the weekend.
“And I just love this track, you know? This track, with every driver I speak with, is one of their favourites. Definitely, the team did an amazing job with the car from pre-practise onwards.”
For Villagómez, the weekend also showed how quickly a result can come once the car, driver and team all operate in the right window.
“And it just makes it a lot easier. Like I said, I think just whenever they click, they just click, and it just starts to flow a little bit easier.”
Experience helps Villagómez stay adaptable
Villagómez also reflected on the role of experience. Although previous years in Formula 2 can help a driver understand what to expect, he stressed that the championship changes constantly from weekend to weekend.
“It’s a lot. But it does help, because you know more or less what to expect, of course. Motorsport, the beauty of motorsport is that it’s so unpredictable, and weekend after weekend is completely different.”
Because of that unpredictability, Villagómez believes drivers still need to stay open-minded. What worked in previous seasons may not automatically work again, especially with changing conditions, tyres and car behaviour.
“So, you need to be really open-minded, you know, and always trying to improve and learn, because maybe we’ve seen multiple cases this year [where] maybe what worked last year doesn’t really work this year. But there are some areas that having that knowledge helps a lot. It’s clear, for example, with my teammate that that’s the case, you know. He showed that he’s also pretty quick, but experience does help quite a lot.”
That approach helped him make the most of the Silverstone weekend. Rather than relying only on past knowledge, Villagómez and VAR responded to what the car needed in the moment.
Villagómez focused on staying present
During the race, Villagómez said communication from his engineers remained calm and targeted. The team trusted the pace and allowed him to focus on lap-by-lap execution rather than the final outcome.
“It was pretty low, to be honest. We were just focussing on our job. They knew the pace was there. They let me focus on my job. And of course, I wasn’t thinking too much ahead. I was only thinking of lap after lap. Not trying to think too much, or let’s say not an outcome-driven race. It was more like being present.”
That mindset suited the alternative strategy. He needed to deliver consistent lap times, protect the tyres and wait for the race to come back to him.
“The team did really well in guiding me in which sectors I was from, which sectors I needed to work on. And of course, the communication was about extending or not. They have information about lap time, about the lap times of others. So yeah, at one point they were just saying, ‘okay, five laps to go, or we’re going to extend to more.’ And that was pretty much the main communication.”
By keeping the focus narrow, Villagómez avoided getting distracted by the possibility of a podium. Consequently, he executed the strategy cleanly and converted VAR’s strongest weekend of the season into back-to-back podiums.
Villagómez leaves Silverstone with momentum after double F2 podiums in 2026
Silverstone gave Villagómez and Van Amersfoort Racing a clear breakthrough. The team combined improved pace, a well-planned strategy and strong tyre management to deliver podiums in both races.
More importantly, the weekend gave Villagómez a platform for the second half of the season. If VAR can carry this rhythm forward, the Mexican driver now has a stronger foundation to chase more podiums and build the consistency he targeted before the race.
