From eighth in 2025 to title contention in 2026, Diego de la Torre has been one of Euroformula Open’s biggest surprises this season. But the Mexican, now sitting third overall, had yet to win a race across both of his seasons in the championship – until race two at the Hungaroring last month. He sat down with Feeder Series just a day before his victory to discuss his thoughts about this season and the mindset he built in the months leading up to his breakthrough.

By Archie Harper

There are drivers for whom the wait for victory becomes all-consuming. For whom the pressure to claim a winners’ trophy becomes all too overwhelming.

From the outside, Diego de la Torre was quickly becoming a driver whose career narrative centered on his quest for race-winning glory. 

The Mexican, who began his career in F4 NACAM, took three podiums across two partial seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Though he only secured a best result of 22nd over four rounds of Italian F4 with AKM Motorsport in 2023 and 11th in a full season of Eurocup-3 with Saintéloc Racing in 2024, De la Torre found better form in the smaller Euroformula Open with Motopark in 2025. He achieved a podium in the second round at Spa and took eight more top-five finishes across the season to finish eighth in the standings.

But those results still left him last of the drivers who contested the full season, something he felt a need to understand heading into his second campaign.

“I think the issue last year was more on the mental side,” he told Feeder Series. “Normally we were not that bad in quali. In Hockenheim we fought for the pole, in Portimão we were second of the team, [so] it was okay in quali.

“Then I think in racing, it was a bit tough [and] also the starts were a bit s***,” he explained. “This type of racing, it’s more of a momentum [issue], so if you don’t get the start momentum, it’s really bad.”

As he approached the off-season, De la Torre’s focus shifted to the steps he could take to correct his rookie-season difficulties.

“What we mainly changed was the mental side. I think I made a step, knowing I have the speed and if I do something in quali I can repeat it in the race,” he reflected.

“Also, a second year gives you more confidence overall, and the experience – it’s what matters most in these sports.”

De la Torre’s progress over the winter led to a drastic improvement for his second Euroformula Open campaign, with the 19-year-old taking on a leading role in the title chase.

He began the season with four consecutive podiums before scoring a further podium in race three at Misano, marking a long period of being second in the championship to the dominant Enzo Yeh.

De la Torre felt these improvements came about not because of luck but as a direct result of the conscious changes he made going into this season.

“Last year we did some winter testing and I was really fast,” he said. “So I was like, ‘Okay, next year, I just need to change that mindset and be pushing every session and every part of the weekend’, and I knew it was going to be like this.”

Nevertheless, by the time the fourth round in Budapest came around, De la Torre’s progress came with a question mark.

When would he take to the top step of the podium?

Three other drivers – Alessandro Famularo, Javier Herrera and Jesse Carrasquedo Jr – had all taken their first victories in the series earlier in the season.

While not having a win may seem to qualify a driver’s legitimacy as a title contender, De la Torre’s shift in mindset appeared to have soothed any such psychological pressure he placed on himself.

“I don’t think about it, to be honest,” he insisted on the Saturday morning of the Hungaroring round. “This year, we had some chances of winning, but we couldn’t do the win. For example, the race three at Spa was a bit of a big issue.

“I was going for the win, I was one of the fastest in the wet conditions, and then it was a mess. In Portimão, I think it was a really tough weekend for me … but I knew, I knew the next weekend the pole and the win would come.

“It was not like that, [but] it’s just a matter of time.”

In his case, just one day. De la Torre secured his first career victory the next morning in race two at the Hungaroring, with his philosophical mindset paying off.

“I’m really happy! It’s just a matter of hard work, and I think I have done the work I need to do,” he told Feeder Series, winner’s trophy in hand, shortly after the race.

A second-place finish in race three to round off the weekend was followed by a more challenging fifth round at Le Castellet, where he failed to score in race two and finished fourth in the other two races.

That weekend left him third in the standings, 18 points behind American teammate Everett Stack and 78 points behind leader Yeh. Nevertheless, even being in that position signifies a dramatic breakthrough for a young driver who, after reshaping his mentality across the winter months, is finally getting to stand amongst the best in the series.

Being in that group, however, means he needs to fight his teammates for glory.

Seven out of the 12 full-time cars are run by Motopark, and the top four drivers – Yeh, Stack, De la Torre and Carrasquedo – are all teammates.

“It’s tough to have a teammate when you’re [each] fighting a championship. It’s something that you really need to be focused for,” De la Torre said. 

“If you start getting distracted with your teammates, just focus on what you need to do, and at the end, I think the time will come. If your teammate is doing good, you can do it as well. It’s the same car.”

Teammates aside, De la Torre’s newfound philosophy – driven by confidence and consistency – gives him a better all-round view of what he wants out of his career as well.

“When I go out of the track, and I knew I gave everything at that day, it’s satisfying even though the result is not there,” he said.

“If you work hard, the result will come. So for me it’s just, I did all of the things I need to do and the result will come, and I’m pretty happy that I gave my best.”

Header photo credit: Fotospeedy / GT Sport