Son of a super “fierro” couple who met and fell in love racing in the sports prototype, Nicolas Varrone He grew up in a mechanical workshop, knew how to excel in karting with the limited financial resources that his parents could provide him and in 2018 – his debut year in European motorsports – he was champion of the French Formula Renault. In 2019 he made the jump to British Formula 3, where he won a race on the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, but later, between the lack of budget to continue climbing in the world of single-seaters and the stoppage of the pandemic, he was about to throw in the towel.
Until an opportunity in a category of cars with a roof made it possible for him to continue in motor sports and demonstrate his driving skills again. At the wheel of sports prototypes and grand tourism cars, “Nico” fought until the last date for the 2021 title of the LMP3 class of the Le Mans Cup and in 2023 he was champion of the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMGTE Am division, with a victorious Corvette in Sebring, Portimao and the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
That same year, in the American IMSA, he also won the 24 Hours of Daytona (LMP3 Am class): in 2024 he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans again, but in the LMP2 Pro Am division; and last year he was promoted to the largest division of Endurance, the Hypercar, with a Porsche from a private team that sometimes managed to fight the official formations.
Although linked for several years to General Motors (GM) As an official Corvette driver, in 2026 Varrone will return to single-seaters in Formula 2, the prelude to Formula 1. His return to single-seaters coincides with the debut of Cadillac, another GM brand, in F1, with the hope that the powerful Yankee manufacturer will take him into account for its plans in the “Maximum”. I dream that it will begin from March 6 to 8 in Australia, where both categories will begin their 2026 championships.
Shortly before traveling to Europe to participate in the Formula 2 preseason tests in Barcelona – where over three days he was 2nd, 5th and 11th – the Ingeniero Maschwitz driver spoke with NOTICIAS about his passion for the “irons”, his career in motorsport and his future. The meeting was at the ACA headquarters, where “Nico” even posed next to the F2 Brabham with which Carlos Reutemann began his international campaign.
News: Already established in Endurance racing, how did you decide to leave your comfort zone to return to formula cars?
Nicolas Varrone: I could have continued in Endurance with a very good contract and earning good money. But I chose F2, where you don’t earn money and you also have to get sponsors, because if I hadn’t been left thinking “what would have happened if…” Several Endurance drivers told me that I was crazy, that they wouldn’t have done it, but that I have all their respect because they know that it is a very big change. For me, motorsport is an adventure; and if life put me in this situation of choosing, it must be for a reason. Anyway, as an official Corvette driver, I’m going to do some races in the United States.
News: But the fact that GM now has a team in F1 surely influenced his decision…
Varrone: Definitely. I had almost forgotten about single-seaters, but F2 is something that any driver likes and an opportunity like this doesn’t happen every day.
News: When it became known that he was going to race in F2, he said that this is his “last bullet to get to F1.” Because?
Varrone: Because of the budget involved in racing in F2 and also because of the issue of age, which is beginning to play an important role.
News: Why did you choose Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR), a team where drivers like Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc raced, but which in 2025 finished tenth among eleven teams?
Varrone: Because in a test I did with them last year they seemed very professional to me. I got along very well with the track engineer and I think that at some point in the season we can surprise. I also tried with two other teams, but everything closed when VAR told us that he wanted to have me, even though we didn’t have the money that other guys had.
News: This year Colton Herta, an IndyCar driver who was already signed by Cadillac F1 as a tester, will also make his F2 debut. Will there be a particular rivalry between the two of you?
Varrone: No. I understand that from the outside they see it that way, but I want to beat everyone and I suppose he does too.
News: What are your expectations for this year?
Varrone: It’s hard to say. I haven’t gotten in the car since December, in the postseason tests in Abu Dhabi; And furthermore, I only set expectations when I already have a reference for a first day on the track.
News: But what would satisfy him?
Varrone: My goal is to do things as best as possible, always be attentive and take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way to attract attention. They are things that happen or not, one cannot force them. If I do things right, that will happen at some point.
News: What is the main challenge for a rookie in F2?
Varrone: Understand the soft tire well to get a perfect lap in qualifying; how to warm it up in the previous laps to leave it at the right temperature for when you open the lap, because in F2 we don’t have heaters. Furthermore, in F2 the weekend format is very compact: there is only one 40-minute test, where at most you can do seven or eight turns launched with medium or hard tires depending on the circuit; and from there you go straight to the half hour of qualy, where you only have four laps maximum. And besides, between one thing and another, he practices F1, which changes the grip on the track.
News: How are your parents with all this?
Varrone: At first, mom couldn’t stop crying with emotion. Now I guess they are a little nervous, but also happy to see how far we come. I take it more calmly, like another adventure.
News: How much were they able to accompany him abroad?
Varrone: Dad, several times; Mom less so, because my sister was studying here.
News: Living outside, who is he with?
Varrone: Only. Although initially I lived with José Balbiani, my manager, and his family, who are now like part of my family. Over time you get used to loneliness; and sometimes I prefer that to running from one place to another due to different commitments, like on this trip to Buenos Aires.
News: At Spa-Francorchamps he had a great victory in F3, but also a big accident due to mechanical failure. Are you a believer?
Varrone: Yes, very.
News: He asked because Ayrton Senna, his idol, used to say that he entrusted himself to God.
Varrone: Being a pilot, you know that the danger is there. But the passion is so great, that you almost don’t think about it. I am so passionate about motorsport that I never had a plan B. Not even when I ran out of money to continue in F3 and there was nothing given to me. There, at one point I came to wonder if this was for me, but even then I didn’t allow myself to think about anything else.
News: Another accident of his was with Verstappen, but racing in the simulator.
Varrone: (laughs) Yes, we were fighting for the lead and we brushed against each other. It was a racing touch, nothing intentional, but colliding with Max was spectacular. A very nice anecdote.
News: This year, Argentina will have Franco Colapinto in F1, you in F2 and Mattia Colnaghi in F3. When it became known about Colnaghi, Colapinto congratulated him via social networks, but he did not do the same with you. Do you know why?
Varrone: I really don’t know, we would have to ask him, because nothing happened between us that would distance us.
News: I asked him precisely because they were very close as children.
Varrone: Yes, we raced in the same karting team, he stayed the night at home and I stayed at his house, and we played a lot in the simulator. We even went on vacation together. Now we haven’t spoken in a while. The last time was when I sent him a message about his entry into Alpine, and the best vibes on my part continue. Still, even though we are in 2026, I give less and less importance to networks, which can help a lot, but also harm, because there are very toxic people.
Sergio Nunez
@sergei_nunez / @F1SergioNez
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by Sergio Núñez
