Zagazeta’s 2025 FIA F3 season with DAMS Lucas Oil proved deeply disappointing. In the French team’s debut F3 campaign, the Peruvian driver managed just two point-scoring finishes across 20 races, finishing 25th with only 13 points.
A promising start quickly fades
The season began encouragingly at Melbourne, where Zagazeta’s fifth-place Sprint Race finish yielded six points and suggested positive results would continue throughout the season. That promise quickly faded.
Between Melbourne and Monza, Zagazeta’s season consisted of 17 consecutive pointless races. In Bahrain, he became entangled in an incident early in the Feature Race, yet was able to carry on. The Imola GP Sprint followed and brought out his first DNF of the season. He went off and beached himself in the gravel, with his front-right wheel wobbling.
Yet, throughout this period, Zagazeta showed flashes of qualifying pace but lacked the race craft to convert grid positions into results. Multiple incidents and poor race management prevented him from capitalizing on his one-lap speed.
Even at circuits where he had previously excelled, performance faltered. At Silverstone, where he had claimed a podium the year before, he finished a lap down in P25.
Mid-season struggles continue
Following the brief summer break came Zagazeta’s second DNF at the F3 Belgian GP Sprint Race after just eight laps.
Zagazeta’s 2025 F3 season was once more disappointed in the race that followed, Budapest. The Budapest Sprint Race demonstrated Zagazeta’s struggles when a 10 second penalty for causing a collision dropped him from P25 to P26. The incident involved his teammate Nicola Lacorte, whom Zagazeta failed to give sufficient room at Turn 2.
The F3 season finale
The Monza finale brought both redemption and disappointment. Zagazeta delivered his career-best qualifying performance with 4th in Group B. He was then able to achieve P4 during the Italian GP Sprint Race, making it his best result of the year.
However, the Feature Race ended in his third DNF. While battling down the field with Taponen, the ART driver forced the Peruvian off into the gravel trap, destroying his front wing and ending his race.
The Monza Sprint demonstrated what was possible with strong pace and clean race craft. Yet, it arrived 17 races too late to salvage his championship position of 25th.
Team context
As DAMS Lucas Oil’s most experienced driver in their maiden F3 campaign, Zagazeta carried significant leadership responsibility. He was specifically recruited to provide championship knowledge following their successful F2 program.
While Zagazeta’s 2025 F3 season saw him place ahead of his teammates, Sebastien Ho and Nicola Lacorte, this merely reflected the team’s overall struggles. DAMS finished tenth and last in the constructors’ standings. Their debut season mirrored Zagazeta’s disappointing campaign, with the experienced driver unable to provide the guidance needed to elevate the team’s performance.
Final verdict
Zagazeta’s 2025 F3 season fell far short of expectations. Just 13 points from 20 races with only two point-scoring finishes told the story of a disappointing campaign. It’s a regression that raises questions regarding his career trajectory.
Despite flashes of qualifying pace, particularly at Monza, persistent racecraft issues prevented him from converting grid positions into results. For a driver who claimed a podium in his rookie season and was brought in to lead DAMS’ debut campaign, finishing 25th is simply unacceptable.
The harsh reality is clear: raw speed alone is insufficient without consistency. Zagazeta’s season showcased him as a driver who did not deliver when it mattered. As things stand, his path forward in motorsport looks uncertain, especially with no official seat for the 2026 season.
