Rafael Villagómez believes he and Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) have rediscovered their rhythm after securing two podium finishes during the 2026 F2 weekend at Silverstone.
The Mexican has now reached the podium three times across the last four races, continuing a dramatic improvement in form for both driver and team. Villagómez has climbed from 22nd to 10th in the Drivers’ Championship across only two rounds.
A top-10 result in Qualifying laid the foundations for his Sprint Race podium before a well-executed strategy carried him from eighth to second in Sunday’s Feature Race.
Villagómez celebrates another strong weekend
Villagómez entered Silverstone with growing confidence after taking a major step forward during the previous rounds. He maintained that momentum throughout the British weekend. First, he delivered a competitive Qualifying performance before converting his starting position into a podium in the Sprint Race.
The VAR driver then produced an even stronger result on Sunday. He combined pace, tyre management and an effective alternative strategy to finish second in the Feature Race.
Villagómez praised the team after completing one of his strongest F2 weekends.
“It was a really good weekend, a really enjoyable race,” Villagómez said reflecting on his weekend to Formula 2. “The team gave me an amazing car, the strategy was perfect, so I couldn’t ask for more to be honest.
“Of course, we wanted to win because the pace was good, but we will take it. Starting eighth, of course, in order to make the strategy work, you need to have pace. So once we saw the pace was good, we just kept going. It was not easy, but it was nice to get it done.”
Although Villagómez wanted to challenge for victory, his second-place finish continued his rapid rise through the standings. It also confirmed VAR’s improved competitiveness during the European phase of the season.
Hard-tyre strategy opens path to second
Villagómez started the Feature Race on the Hard compound while several rivals selected the Soft tyre. That choice theoretically placed him at a disadvantage during the opening laps because the Soft runners could generate grip more quickly. However, the Soft tyres began to lose performance much earlier than expected.
Villagómez initially watched the gap ahead increase, but the deficit soon stabilised. By the third lap, he had started closing on the drivers who had selected the softer compound.
That early development showed Villagómez that VAR’s strategy could deliver a major result.
“I was surprised to be honest because, lap one I could already see a gap, and it was more or less what you would expect. Lap two I saw that it wasn’t getting bigger. And then by lap three, I was already catching and thinking, okay, this is our chance, we have pace, we’re catching up already. I think that was the key.
Villagómez extended his opening stint and used his consistent pace to remain in contention while the Soft-tyre runners struggled with degradation.
VAR then completed the required stop and placed him on the faster compound for the closing phase. With fresher tyres and strong underlying pace, Villagómez charged through the field and completed several late overtakes on his way to second.
Barcelona breakthrough starts VAR recovery
Villagómez has often produced his strongest Formula 2 performances near the end of a season. However, he and VAR appear to have found their form much earlier during the 2026 campaign. The Mexican identified Barcelona as the point where the team began to make meaningful progress. Better Qualifying performances allowed him to start closer to the front and gave VAR more strategic options during the races.
That improvement has since translated into three podiums across four races and a 12-place rise in the championship standings.
Villagómez explained how regaining a productive rhythm has strengthened the partnership between himself and the team.
“Last year, we got into a very nice rhythm towards the end. This year, for some reason at the start, it was really tricky and we just broke the rhythm and things didn’t happen. And finally, since Barcelona, qualifying was better.
“I think once we’re in the rhythm together with the team, we just know what we need to do. So, it’s exciting. The upcoming tracks are amazing. The tracks we get to do with Formula 2 are amazing.
“Silverstone was one of my favourites, Spa is as well, and Budapest. So I’m really looking forward to the next few races.”
The recent results suggest that VAR has developed a clearer understanding of what Villagómez needs from the car. In turn, improved Qualifying pace has allowed him to fight for larger points rather than relying solely on recovery drives.
Villagómez targets further progress at favourite circuits
Villagómez now heads into the next part of the season with considerably more momentum than he carried through the opening rounds.
Silverstone presented demanding high-speed corners, changing weather and significant tyre-management challenges. Nevertheless, he delivered two podium finishes and showed competitive pace under contrasting race conditions.
The upcoming visits to Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest also give Villagómez further reason for optimism. He ranks both circuits among his favourites and will aim to extend his current run of podium finishes.
After climbing from 22nd to 10th in only two rounds, Villagómez has established himself as one of the championship’s form drivers. Maintaining VAR’s improved Qualifying performance could now allow him to continue that progress through the remainder of the European season.
