Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rafael Villagómez secured his first-ever Formula 2 podium after a chaotic 2025 Barcelona F2 Sprint Race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Mexican driver, currently in his second F2 season, capitalised on a late-race Safety Car to switch tyres and crossed the finish line in third place. MP Motorsport’s Richard Verschoor took victory—his second of the season—while Rodin Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne finished second, reclaiming the championship lead.
Villagómez “pretty happy” after disappointing Friday
Speaking to the media after his podium finish, Villagómez expressed satisfaction with the result, especially after a challenging Qualifying session on Friday that left him starting from P22.
“I am obviously pretty happy. First podium in Formula 2 after a really bad day yesterday—I think this is always nice to have. A crazy race, but I will take that any day.”
When asked if a podium had seemed within reach ahead of the race, Villagómez admitted it had not felt likely. The Mexican noted that Barcelona’s layout, known for favouring front-runners, combined with his own lack of pace, made a top-three finish appear unrealistic.
“Like I said, starting last and with the Qualifying we had, if you told me this morning you are going to finish on the podium, maybe I would have said, ‘that is really nice from you’, but yeah, we just did not really have the pace.”
Safety Car strategy delivers surprise result
Villagómez’s podium resulted from a well-executed strategy during a late-race Safety Car period, brought out by a collision between PREMA teammates Gabriele Minì and Sebastián Montoya.
Villagómez took the opportunity to pit for fresher tyres. He later explained that he and the team had prepared for such a scenario in advance. However, it was not until the final laps that he realised a podium might be on the cards.
“So obviously we run through different scenarios before the race, and we knew if a Safety Car was on the table towards the end of the race we were going to pit, so that was confirmed with the team. But then I realised that we are going to be on the podium, I think, two laps to go when they told me that the next car was Jak and he was P3. But before that, to be honest, my main focus was just to not lose any time overtaking cars.”
Building momentum but staying realistic
This podium follows a ninth-place finish in the Feature Race at Monte Carlo, marking a second consecutive points-scoring result for Villagómez. Reflecting on this upward trajectory, the VAR driver emphasised the need for realism and continued development, particularly with greater points on offer in the Feature Race.
“Well, it is always nice, but this is a little bit of a crazy race and we need to be realistic, you know, and we did struggle on the tyres, so we need to go back and see what we did wrong and try to fix it for tomorrow, because tomorrow’s race is the one that matters—the big points—and that is where you do well.”
VAR celebrates strong day across both categories
Villagómez also acknowledged the significance of the result for his team. VAR enjoyed a successful day across both junior categories, having earlier taken a 1-2 in the F3 Sprint Race. Ivan Domingues led teammate Santiago Ramos across the line to become the first Portuguese driver to win an F3 race.
“Obviously super happy to finish on the podium. The team is obviously extremely happy as well because this morning they did 1-2 in Formula 3. So that just shows the amount of hard work that was behind the team and yeah, first I am just happy for myself, second for the team. We just need to be a bit more consistent and find a little bit more pace to be able to redo it.”
Tyre management a key factor
Villagómez noted that tyre degradation had significantly influenced the outcome of the Sprint Race, drawing comparisons to the season opener in Bahrain. He explained that bolting on the soft compound tyres at the end of the race, when the car was lighter, gave a considerable performance advantage—one which he was able to exploit following the well-timed Safety Car.
“Like in Bahrain, we have seen when it is quite hot then the hard [tyres] start to struggle quite a bit. Like I said, today the delta difference was pretty big. Also because you are going at the end of the race so if you put in a fresh set of softs with a lighter car then you are going to get something like this. For us, we struggled a little bit in the highs, so it was only about surviving and trying to get a bit of the balance for tomorrow’s race but then, yeah, Safety Car came in, we are lucky, and this is what we end up with.”
Looking ahead to the Feature Race
With his focus now shifting to the Sunday Feature Race, Villagómez stressed the importance of using the Sprint Race as a learning opportunity. He noted that while soft tyres had proven effective today, different conditions and strategies would likely apply on Sunday.
“I think today’s race is all about getting a read of the balance and how the cars were going to behave. Obviously, going onto the softs was [with] a lot less laps than will be tomorrow. Tomorrow will be different conditions, slightly earlier, a little bit colder, so we need to go back, analyse a little bit more. But for me starting from the back I think we can manage to take a little bit more risk than people starting in the front.”
An “extremely high” level of racing in F2
Having described the Sprint Race as “crazy,” Villagómez was asked how well F2 prepares drivers for the demands of Formula 1. While he acknowledged that most drivers dream of reaching F1, he also highlighted the high level of competition within F2 and the solid foundation it offers for other elite categories.
“I think everyone dreams of Formula 1 in this paddock. I am pretty sure if you go and ask every single driver, they are going to say their dream is Formula 1 but saying that the level in Formula 2 is extremely high and it is still racing just like any other category, so you do go out pretty well prepared out of here. Whether you continue to go out on the routes of IndyCar or WEC, you know you are going to arrive there and you are going to be well prepared. We have seen it with many other drivers that go into other categories. They [surely will] do quite well.”
A breakthrough amidst the chaos
Rafael Villagómez’s podium finish in Barcelona marks a major milestone in his F2 journey. While it came amid a volatile and unpredictable race, the result reflects sharp strategy, and a readiness to seize opportunities. The young Mexican driver continues to build momentum, but as he and his team acknowledge, consistency and pace remain key goals.
As Van Amersfoort Racing enjoys success across both F2 and F3, the spotlight now turns to Sunday’s Feature Race—and the challenge of turning promise into sustained performance.
