Nicolás Varrone is preparing to make a significant transition in his career by joining Formula 2 in 2026 with Van Amersfoort Racing, marking a rare move from professional sports car racing to open-wheel single-seaters. This shift, driven by Varrone’s desire to pursue a lifelong ambition, represents a substantial challenge as he returns to single-seaters for the first time in over seven years and faces a calendar filled with unfamiliar tracks.
This switch to Formula 2 will test Varrone’s adaptability, a skill honed during his extensive sports car racing experience across multiple championships worldwide. His decision to embark on this new path highlights the unique nature of the transition and his determination to succeed.
Building Versatility Through Diverse Racing Disciplines
Over the past seven years, Varrone has competed in a wide range of endurance and sports car events, including the World Endurance Championship (WEC), IMSA, International GT Open, the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS), Asian Le Mans, and the European Le Mans Series. Often balancing multiple championships in a single year, he has developed a strong ability to quickly adapt to different cars, tires, and racetracks.
This versatility is a crucial asset as he approaches his inaugural Formula 2 season. Varrone himself emphasizes how endurance racing’s demand for rapid adaptation can aid his progress in F2.
“For sure it’s there’s some stuff you can you can, let’s say, translate to F2,”
Varrone said ahead of the upcoming season.
“In endurance racing, you drive different cars all the time, and you have little time to test and adapt to the new cars. So for me, it’s a big change, a big challenge. It’s a massive step in a different way of driving and understanding of the tyres. That power of being used to adapt to new, different things can help me get up to speed quicker,”
he added.
Endurance Experience as a Foundation for Racecraft
Varrone’s endurance racing pedigree includes winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice across different classes, triumphing at the Daytona 24-hour race, and securing the LMGTE Am World Endurance Championship. These achievements have equipped him with a deep understanding of race strategy, tire management, and adapting to evolving race conditions over extended durations—skills that can be beneficial even in a faster-paced, sprint-style series like Formula 2.
“The experience on how to read races, especially longer races, and to understand what’s going on, I feel those are the most powerful things I can translate (from sports car racing to F2), but it’s a whole different sport in a way,”
Varrone reflected.
Early Exposure to Formula 2 and Argentinean Fan Support
Although 2026 will be Varrone’s first full Formula 2 campaign, he is not entirely new to the series. He participated in post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit in 2024 for AIX Racing, gaining valuable experience ahead of his full-time entry.
In Argentina, Varrone’s potential ascent in the single-seater arena has garnered attention, especially following the rise of fellow Argentine driver Franco Colapinto, who advanced to Formula 1 with Williams. Social media buzz featuring hashtags like #NicoVarroneaF1 and #NicoVarroneaCadillacF1 reflected growing national interest, coinciding with rumors about General Motors’ potential entry into Formula 1 alongside Cadillac in 2026.
Despite the fleeting nature of these online trends, Varrone’s unexpected offer from Van Amersfoort Racing to compete in Formula 2 presented an opportunity that required a difficult decision, balancing a comfortable and successful sports car career against a challenging single-seater endeavor.
“I was not expecting that (F2 drive with VAR),”
Varrone revealed, acknowledging the surprise of the call-up.
“I was happy in Endurance, and I am happy because I’m still doing it (endurance racing). I love every form of racing, and Endurance gave me my career that I have today; it gave me a lot of opportunities,”
he said.
“When this change (to move to F2) came up, it was like I had two options: To continue in Endurance and stay the same, or go for this new challenge. It’s going to be big and really tricky,”
Varrone explained.
Choosing to Pursue a New Challenge with Support from Home
After careful consideration and encouragement from sponsors and supporters in Argentina, Varrone decided to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete in Formula 2. The decision was made all the more significant as it came without the intense national excitement sparked by Colapinto’s recent Formula 1 promotion.
“So my decision was, okay, this chance came up without the Franco Colapinto effect that made everything in Argentina go crazy. People (in Argentina) mentioned: Do you want to do this? We will sponsor you, support you for this big change. So I took the chance, because it’s something that will not happen twice in my life and if I didn’t take it, I would regret it for the rest of my life,”
he shared.
Balancing Endurance Events and Formula 2 Commitments
Despite committing to the demanding Formula 2 schedule, Varrone plans to remain active in select endurance races. He recently competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona in early 2026, finishing fourth with Corvette Racing alongside Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner. He intends to participate in well-known endurance events such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans, and is considering a return to the Nürburgring 24 Hours if scheduling permits.
“I will still do some races in endurance, I did the Daytona 24 hours a few weeks ago. I will do the 12 Hours of Sebring now in March after the Melbourne weekend. Then I will do the Petit Le Mans, and I’m trying to see if I can do Nürburgring (24 Hours of Nürburgring in May), and that would be really nice,”
Varrone noted.
However, the intense and tightly packed European racing calendar for Formula 2 means that Varrone must carefully plan his endurance commitments. His absence from the 2026 Le Mans entry list is due to a direct clash with the Spanish Formula 2 round.
The Nürburgring 24 Hours, held between 14 and 17 May, falls between the Jeddah and Monaco Formula 2 rounds, presenting a challenging logistics and preparation puzzle. Managing these overlapping priorities will require strategic decisions throughout the year.
Varrone remains passionate about endurance racing, expressing a desire to maintain involvement in select events without compromising his main focus on Formula 2.
“I have a lot of clashes with NLS to prepare for the race, so that’s a bit of a tricky one. I will do one or two more races (in sports car racing) that I can’t say right now,”
he said.
“I love it, I love going there (endurance and sports cars) and driving a GT, LMP2 or hypercar. I love the atmosphere and racing alongside some really good drivers. It’s really competitive, but yeah, always puts a smile on my face.
That’s what I come from, so yeah, it’s really nice. I will do quite a lot of races besides the F2 stuff, which will remain the main focus this season,”
Varrone concluded with optimism.
A Shared Journey with Teammate Rafael Villagómez
Varrone’s teammate at Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2026 season will be Rafael Villagómez, entering his third year with the team. Both Latin American drivers share cultural and linguistic bonds, as well as the experience of making sacrifices to carve out their racing careers far from home. This rapport is expected to foster a positive team environment as they prepare for their first full season together in Formula 2.
“Being teammates with Rafa (Villagómez), it’s really fun,”
Varrone said ahead of the season.
“We speak the same language, and not only that, but the way we speak (to each other), or crack jokes, it’s really good to understand each other,”
he added.
“This stuff (the common connect) is really nice, and also it’s good because we understand each other, because we had to make a lot of sacrifices to be here. Being far away from home, we say maybe I don’t know how many months we go without seeing our family, so yeah, that’s something really different compared to the European drivers,”
Varrone reflected.
Looking Forward to an Intriguing Season
Nico Varrone’s leap into Formula 2 represents a rare and challenging career pivot, one that blends his extensive endurance racing background with the fast-paced, competitive world of feeder series single-seaters. Supported by a strong fan base and motivated by personal ambition, his journey will be closely followed alongside teammate Rafael Villagómez as Van Amersfoort Racing fields a Latin American duo in 2026.
This season promises to test Varrone’s adaptability and racecraft at new levels while allowing him to maintain ties with the sportscar racing discipline he excels in. The results of this bold transition will not only impact Varrone’s career trajectory but may also inspire other drivers to consider similar unconventional paths in motorsport.
