Villagómez says Van Amersfoort don’t ‘feel like a new team’ as he backs F3 newcomers for success

After an up-and-down rookie season, Rafael Villagómez took some time to himself to figure out where he needed to improve, using the time to work on the mental as well as the physical aspect of his performances.

Joining newcomers Van Amersfoort Racing for 2022, the Mexican believes he’s better equipped to challenge for podiums and wins in his second year and said that he will be aiming high.

“I think it was pretty important for me to take this time, to go back through the season and see what needed to change,” said Villagómez. “There are quite a lot of things from last year that could have been better or avoided, so I have been working on how to deal with certain emotions or certain situations that can affect you during a race weekend.

“This Championship is really challenging, so you have to be able to adapt. How to treat the tyres and how to manage them is a big deal in this Championship. Van Amersfoort are a new team, but I think they dealt with the test well and I think what we can achieve together can be good, it didn't feel like a new team.”

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As well as his rookie year of F3, Villagómez also competed in the Euroformula Open Championship with VAR, which made the decision to join the Dutch team for their F3 venture that much easier.

Finishing eighth with five podiums, the 20-year-old hopes to replicate his Euroformula success with the team in the third tier and said that his post-season test with them was positive.

“I was very happy with them in Euroformula,” he said. “I think we did quite a good job together. It was the way that they worked, for me. We share the same goal, everyone in the team does, and that was important.

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“I will always aim the highest I can and that is to be champion. If you don't aim as high as you can, then you never know what you are actually capable of.

“Bahrain is coming up soon and there is quite a lot of work that we need to do, physically and mentally. Driving wise, I’ve done a few karting days with my teammate Reece (Ushijima), which was pretty fun.”