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Rafael Villagómez: A Race in my Words
Van Amersfoort Racing rookie Rafael Villagómez made the step up to Formula 2 after three seasons in F3 including two with the Dutch outfit. His preparations appear to have worked out, with the Mexican driver making a strong start to life in F2 this year.
But asked to recall a race he remembers most fondly, it’s a memory from year one in F3 in HWA colours that stands out the most to him.
Here, Villagómez recounts the Paul Ricard weekend of 2021 and third race of the event in torrential conditions. It brought with it a big lesson in mental fortitude as well as some old-fashioned overtaking fun.
Hear from the VAR driver as to why this race in particular stands the test of time and holds a special place in his mind.
“I love driving in the rain, one race I remember quite well was my first year in F3 at Paul Ricard in the rain. It was really bad weather, horrible!
“But that was also really exciting. When the weather is really bad, I enjoyed it a lot. I didn’t have all the speed but I still managed to make a good comeback. I was doing overtake after overtake after overtake. I spun it and still managed a comeback, so that was pretty fun.
“My first year of racing was in the UK, so I had to get used to rainy conditions pretty quickly. In Mexico you never get rain, so it was tough at the beginning because it’s a different style.
"But I think because I was racing so much and running in the wet, you got to learn to like it. A lot of people complain when it’s bad weather, but I kind of like it.
“Like in any race it’s how you deal with a situation in that moment. It’s why this sport is so unique. There’s never the same scenario so how you deal with things and what tools you have at your disposal makes a difference.
“I could have been like angry about it, but I just said, ‘okay, that’s done but all I can do now is my best,’ and it worked out.
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“I always watch my races back after the weekend because you can always learn something afterwards. You use some of your notes for the next race and the next year, and you use them.
“I will always look back at my notes and be like, ‘this is important here, this stood out, this guy was doing this line and I was doing that line, I did this mistake and this guy did that mistake,' so it’s a constant state of learning.”