Matias Zagazeta drives his first GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS season this year, competing in the Gold Sprint Cup with the #51 and the Silver Endurance Cup with the #52 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Coming all the way from Lima, Peru, the 22‑year‑old moved to the United Kingdom alone at the age of 16 to begin racing in the British F4 Championship. Climbing the ladder over time, the Ferrari driver made the move from F3 to GT racing and, after successfully taking on his first Spa 24 Hours challenge finishing third, the AF Corse driver is already looking ahead to what comes next.
Hitting the Track Without a Motorsport Background
Before jumping into a kart, the young Peruvian first played football and tennis, but racing was always on his mind. “The passion, I had it since I was one or two years old. I was always playing with little toy cars and watching everything related to it on TV,” he explains to GT REPORT. “That’s what basically got me straight into it.”
The addiction started all on his own. “My dad had no idea about racing. My mom had no idea about racing. No one in my family was in any sort of way even watching Formula 1 races. It was a strange and uncommon decision; it just came out of nowhere from me. My dad, I’m very happy and thankful to have a family like this, he supports me, just like the rest of my family does, since I was very young. We would go all the time to the local rental karting track just for fun, but then it started turning a bit more serious when I got into the higher karting competitions in Peru with the proper go‑karts in the mini category.”
At just eight years old, the challenge for the Peruvian began but with his parents not into racing, it was already tough. “I think we lost many, many opportunities and a lot of time trying to figure out what was happening. We had no idea and would only talk with the people around the paddock in Peru, but they were mainly people who just raced here or in South America. We had to do our own investigations and find out where the best places to race were. But also, with the budget we had, it was quite difficult. We started looking: where’s the next step? What’s the best level in South America? We saw it was in Argentina, so we went to Argentina, then to America. In the end, we got to a point where we said: look, Europe is where the best competition is, and that’s where we need to go. So, we worked a lot and managed to go there for a season in karting.”
The Distance That Defined Him
Moving abroad at just 16 years old, he started in the British Kart Championship in 2019. One year later, he was behind the wheel of an F4 car, driving for Carlin in the British Championship.
Adapting to a new way of living and missing his family was tough, but that time shaped him into the person and driver he is today. “It’s been crucial. I think it was very important for me to move away from my family. Of course, it was very hard. I had to adapt to a new culture, a new country, being away from your family. I think in South America the concept of family is so big. I’m very close with everyone. Stepping away from that and being completely alone was something that impacted me the most. But I learned how to spend time with myself and enjoy that time as well. I think it helped me develop many different aspects, like maturity and responsibility and other things you need in sport in general. It shaped me into a better person and a more complete one. In the UK the level was very high, being with the racing team all the time, learning things about the car. In the end, I think it was very important for me to take this step, and I’m very thankful that I did.”
A New Chapter in Red
This year, the former Formula driver made the step from F3 to GTWCE, driving the #51 and #52 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. “I saw it as a great opportunity. When you’re talking with a team like AF Corse, you get interested. They have so much history and have brought up so many drivers who eventually became professionals. It was a good pathway for me to move out of single‑seaters. Obviously, the goal is always to reach Formula 1, but I think for myself I always had that wider picture. I just wanted to become a professional racing driver, especially considering where I come from.”
Driving for the iconic car manufacturer means a lot to him. “For me, it’s everything. It’s the best brand I think I could be with. It’s full of nice people, and honestly, representing a brand like Ferrari is incredible because when I was a kid, I was a big fan of the red cars. I was always supporting Alonso and Vettel, so it’s a team I really like and it has so much history, of course. It means more to win with Ferrari, and the goal for me is to race for them professionally.”
Asked whether he feels his racing career is incomplete by not racing in Formula 1, he says: “It’s of course great when you want to try and get to Formula 1. But I think we always looked at going into Formula 3 and doing the single‑seater path just to develop more as a driver and race with the best young drivers in the world. Honestly, I feel it helped me a lot because you drive on different tracks than you do in Formula 1. I’m just happy and grateful for the opportunities I’ve had because there are many drivers and many people I know who stayed in karting or Formula 4 and didn’t have this opportunity.”
Looking back at the move and being with the Italian‑based team in GT racing, he doesn’t have any regrets. “It’s a category you can stay in for so many years. I’m still only 22 years old, so I think I’m learning a lot in this first year. It’s like a base learning year for me. I’m already seeing a lot of improvements, step by step. In the end, it was a great change to make, and the environment seems a lot nicer. The competition is still extremely high, and working with a team like this is just incredible.”
The AF Corse driver elaborates further on why he feels more at home, mainly because of the team owner. “I think it’s a lot thanks to Amato Ferrari. He has supported us a lot and is very good friends with the people who take care of my career. So, the initial contact was there. I think it’s great to have this kind of support. It gives me more time to settle into new tracks like Misano or different cars because it’s all in all a very different process from what I’m used to in single‑seaters.”
From Sim to Silverware: Building Confidence in GT Racing
With the trust behind him from the team, he managed to leave Misano with a podium finish in the first sprint race. To be on the pace at a new track is thanks to all the work that goes on beforehand on the simulator. “I think it’s the best tool you can have as a driver without spending lots of money. You can drive different cars, different tracks. For me, driving Misano on the sim, although I’ve never been here in real life, is great.”
But the best podium finish he scored in GT racing came a couple of weeks earlier when the 22‑year‑old competed in his first 24‑hour race at Circuit de Spa‑Francorchamps. “I did a lot of simulator work as well for Spa, way more than you usually would, because being my first time in a GT at Spa, it’s very different from single‑seaters. So the driving technique and everything resets to zero. I’ve seen it works for many drivers because you prepare yourself for every situation, even if it’s unrealistic in the race, but you know you’re ready.”
Being well prepared for the driving challenges, the physical challenge was also tough but it didn’t surprise the South American. “Physical preparation was very intense, especially working in the heat to make sure I was ready in the car. In the end, I think it was as tough as I expected, maybe a little tougher with the added heat. It was very challenging to do the double stints. Of course, it’s nice to have four drivers because it helps to spread the time. But the preparation was crucial because in a race like this at Spa, when you have no margin for error and the track limits are so tight, the penalties that racked up for all the drivers and teams were something we needed to work a lot on.”
Sharing the #52 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 with Francesco Braschi, Jeff Machiels, and Gilles Stadsbader, the team managed to finish third in the Silver Cup class.
Being fourth overall in the Silver Cup Endurance standings and leading the Gold Cup Sprint standings, the targets are clear as the young driver looks ahead but keeps the focus on himself in his debut season. “I think now we’re in a great position. Having Tommaso Mosca as a teammate in the Sprint Cup is fantastic because he’s a super quick driver. He gives me a lot of support and a lot of tips. The main goal for myself this season is just to develop more as a driver, from the beginning until the end, to be a completely transformed driver and to learn everything about this car, championship, and tracks. I think we’re achieving that at the moment. Then, of course, the results that come along the way are just an extra. We’re in a great position in both championships, but to be honest, I don’t look at that. I just look at the progress I make. And that’s the most important thing.”
