Despite a podium finish in Silverstone, Matías Zagazeta’s 2024 season was ultimately a disappointing one with him finishing 25th in the drivers’ championship, behind Jenzer Motorsport teammates Charlie Wurz and Max Esterson. The Peruvian driver will, however, have another chance to fight for an F3 championship. In October 2024, F3 newcomers, DAMS Lucas Oil, confirmed that Zagazeta would form part of the 2025 F3 line-up. He will partner with Alpine Academy’s Nicola Lacorte and 2024 Eurocup-3 champion Christian Ho.
Zagazeta full of praise for new team
Zagazeta was full of praise for his team while speaking to the media, including Pit Debrief. He stated that he was “really happy” to be a part of such a “fantastic” team, noting DAMS’ excellent history and reputation in Formula 2.
“I think it’s great, first of all, to form part of a fantastic team like DAMS.”
“They have a lot of history and experience in Formula 2. So yeah, I’m really happy to [be] part of this great team.”
Zagazeta also spoke positively about his preparation for the 2025 F3 season, explaining that he had done a lot of work with the French team since his signing.
“Yeah, the preparation has been really good, actually. So ever since the end of last year [when] we signed with the team, then I visited the workshop many times. We’ve done a lot of simulator work.”
He described DAMS as having a “pretty positive” environment and described the team as being “easy to work with.”
“So it’s been pretty good to work with the team. It’s very easy to work with everyone. And honestly, I think the environment in the team has been pretty positive as well.“
Zagazeta has also been building a positive relationship with his new teammates and believes that they have been pushing each other to improve their skills as they prepare for the 2024 F3 season.
“So overall, I’m really happy to have these two guys as teammates as well. We keep pushing each other as well. And yeah, it’s just pretty good.”
With things “pretty good” at DAMS, the Peruvian driver, now entering his sophomore year in F3, believes that the team needs to focus on finalising their preparation for the season opener in Melbourne.
“So we need to keep working for Melbourne.”
The differences between DAMS and Jenzer
The Peruvian driver did, however, acknowledge that he had had to familiarise himself with how things run at DAMS, noting slight differences between his new team and his former team, Jenzer Motorsport. He highlighted the use of different programs and simulators as examples of these differences.
“For sure, I think there’s a bit of difference between Jenzer and DAMS”
“I think the way the teams work is slightly similar in a way. It’s just a different level. It’s a bit different the way we work as well. The programmes they use; the simulator is also quite different. So there’s a lot of things that are quite different between teams.”
Despite these differences and his need to adapt to them, Zagazeta reiterated that he was “super happy” to be a part of the French team, again commending their way of working.
“So, yeah, I’m super happy to be part of DAMS. I’m really happy as well with the way they have been working. So in that aspect, I’m really happy. “
Zagazeta will try to help rookie teammates
The 21-year-old also spoke about the different dynamic evolving between him and his new teammates. He recalled that in 2024, Jenzer Motorsport had fielded three rookies, himself included. While he emphasised that his former teammates Charlie Wurz and Maz Esterson had been “really fast drivers”, he explained that it had been difficult for them to “push each other” as all were still learning to adapt to F3.
“Of course, last year, it was three of us rookies. So I know how difficult that is. And it was really difficult because, of course, Charlie and Max are still really fast drivers. But it was really difficult to kind of push each other because we didn’t really have an idea of the car or the tracks were new.”
“And we always needed to have that second-year driver that would have been fantastic,” he added.
As the most senior F3 driver, Zagazeta hopes to help his 2025 teammates settle into F3 using what he learnt from his 2024 campaign.
“So I think for Christian and Nicola, this season, I’ll really try and help them as well with things they need or if they have any questions as well or any understanding from what I took from last year, I can for sure give it to them as well.”
“Fantastic” Formula Regional Oceania campaign a big help for Zagazeta’s 2025 preparation
In addition to his previous F3 experience, Zagazeta can also draw on his experience from the 2025 Formula Regional Oceania Championship where he finished fifth with two wins and an additional podium finish.
The Peruvian driver described the experience as “fantastic”, adding that he had enjoyed himself in New Zealand.
“Yeah, no, it was a fantastic experience to go to New Zealand. Honestly, I really enjoyed myself there. The people, the country, everything is really nice.”
He also described “the racing side” positively, explaining that the experience had helped him to “stay sharp” and “get into shape” for the 2025 season.
“And then on the racing side, honestly, the championship, it really helped me a lot. Mainly to stay sharp and to, of course, drive quite a lot. It’s five intense weeks. So it’s pretty good to get into shape into the season.”
Zagazeta also noted the influence of M2 Competition teammate Arvid Lindblad, who is set to compete in the 2025 F2 championship with Campos Racing after finishing the 2024 F3 season fourth. Zagazeta stated that Lindblad had pushed him to excel during their time as teammates, and added that Lindblad’s feedback had helped him coming into F3 pre-season testing.
“So, of course, having Arvid as well really helped. It was really good to push each other and listen to his feedback as well. So this has for sure helped me massively coming into testing.”
2024 F3 experience an asset for 2025
In addition to his experience in the recently concluded 2025 Formula Regional Oceania championship, Zagazeta believes that his experiences in the 2024 F3 season will be similarly beneficial.
“It’s really good to have the experience, of course, from last year. It really helps in tracks like Melbourne or, well, not Monaco because I couldn’t really race. But in Melbourne, it really helps a lot. So it’s great to have the experience.”
He explained that this allowed him to approach 2025 with greater confidence and added that he aimed to replicate the successes of his debut F3 season.
“You come in with confidence. You come in with the knowledge you have from last year. And you try and replicate it this year and give all the information to the team. So it’s a little bit of an advantage.”
Despite his experience and improved confidence, however, Zagazeta expects “a bit of rebuilding process”, noting that the 2025 car will not be the same as that of 2024.
“But, of course, it’s a new car as well. So there’s not too much things to take away. So it’s a bit of a rebuilding process again.”
Expectations
As he approaches the 2025 F3 season Zagazeta hoped to “keep it relaxed” despite his desire to succeed. He explained that he did not want to put pressure on himself and wanted to enjoy his racing while doing the best that he could.
“It was, first of all, really nice to have the podium last year. For me, it was a fantastic experience. I know it was the sprint race, but it was very special for me so it all added up a bit more.”
“For this year, my expectations, honestly, I just try and keep it as relaxed as I can. I don’t want to put any pressure on myself as I’ve been putting in the last couple of years. So I think this year I go a bit more relaxed, go and enjoy my racing and hopefully do the best that I can.”
While Zagazeta will be fighting for wins and podiums, he said that his primary aim is to end the weekend confident that he had put in his best effort, regardless of the results.
“So that’s all that I want to do is leave the weekend knowing that I’ve done everything that I can and I extracted everything out of the car, regardless of where I finish, if it’s at the front, in the middle, in the back.”
“So that’s my ambition for this year. Of course, I want to be winning races, finishing on the podium, but I’ll push all I can.”
