Karting with family and F4 shootout pressure: Rafael Villagómez on the moments that made him

7 June 2024

Rafael Villagómez made the step up to FIA Formula 2 in 2024 with Van Amersfoort Racing and the Mexican driver has already been in the points in his rookie campaign.

He took time out from his preparations to reflect on his journey up to this point, picking out the key moments that put him on the path to F2 and what they mean to him.

FIRST TIME KARTING

“The first one is pretty easy to pick, the first time I ever jumped into a go-kart. It was also with my grandpa, the first time I ever did it. It immediately made me fall in love with the sport and ever since then, I’ve wanted to drive every day. Apart from the driving itself, the meaning of having someone from my family there with me had a big influence.

“My grandpa used to race back in Mexico, but my family was never fully into racing. After this, it became a family thing, even my sister was racing us, my brother, my dad, basically everyone in the family except my mother. The whole family was going on the weekends, but I wanted to go every day. I was going from Wednesday to Sunday, almost every afternoon.”

Villagómez says his F4 shootout was a high-pressure lesson and valuable for his career

F4 SHOOTOUT

“The second moment would be driving an F4 car for the first time. It was a bit of an experience because it was in the Richard Mille talent shootout. I’d never jumped into a car before then, and there’s already a lot of pressure over those two days, but I jumped in and was like, ‘wow, this is cool’. “It was at Le Mans, the Bugatti Circuit there. I remember – everyone struggles pulling out of the pits, but I remember getting out and onto my first lap and the feeling was super cool. The smell, the feel of it, your view is different from being in a kart, so you’re still getting your head around it all, learning the track, but once you get it, it’s not that bad.

“They did an elimination, like a knock-out tournament in football, 12, then eight, then the final quickest drivers. You don’t get many laps, 10-minute sessions. They were very specific, if you make a mistake then that’s it for the session, you can’t come back so that was a lot of pressure, but part of wanting to push more.”

The Van Amersfoort driver says his F2 graduation and first time in the car was an unforgettable experience

FORMULA 2

“The first time in an F2 car – it’s quite impressive. It has the carbon brakes, the amount of power it has. That’s the first thing you notice, the difference, compared to F3, they’re quite a lot different. You have to warm them up and that’s something you don’t have in F3.

“There’s something new every time you step up. In Abu Dhabi, when I first got into the F2 car, I think that’s something you don’t see from any driver, the nerves, you don’t know what’s coming but you just cope with it.

“It’s very exciting, you get the butterflies, I think that’s how everyone feels. Every moment is quite special and has a story behind it, but for me, those three moments defined the timeline of my career. They were quite something.

“We forget sometimes how lucky we are to be in this position. I always try to put myself in the present, to live in the moment because you’re always trying to think about the next session instead of living in that moment. It’s tough to have the right balance, not being in the present too much but also doing your best to prepare the next session. But you always try to keep yourself grounded.”