Formula 1 - Following in the footsteps of Gabriel Bortoleto: Rafael C�mara wins Formula 3 title with Trident

Rafel Câmara crowned himself Formula 3 champion early in Hungary, replacing Leonardo Fornaroli, who also won the title the previous year with Trident. The junior series race weekend in Monza is still to come. He already has a 48-point lead over his closest rival, Mari Boya. However, the Brazilian is also following in the footsteps of Gabriel Bortoleto , who also won the Formula 3 title in 2023, also with Trident.

Even the engineers and the team's side are the same for Câmara as they were for Bortoleto in 2023. "Everyone has been together for, I think, over ten years; everyone knows each other. My group, my team—my mechanics, and my engineer—are the same as Gabi's [Bortoleto, editor's note]. It's been great working with them," reports the newly crowned F3 champion.

The driver's trust in the engineers plays a key role for him. "The way we prepared for the season, the amount of work people put into this championship, especially the engineers, who work almost every day. That makes us drivers calmer and gives us more confidence in the environment," says Câmara.

Unlike Bortoleto, however, Camara is a Ferrari junior. He doesn't yet have a Formula 2 seat for 2025. That, however, is likely only a matter of time. Ideally, his path will lead to Formula 1.

The Brazilian's statistics are outstanding for his first season. Before the end of the season, Câmara has already secured four wins, five pole positions, and five podium finishes, thus comfortably winning the season so far. The next Trident driver is only in sixth place, with less than half of Câmara's points total.

"After all the preparation, of course you always want to win, you always go into a championship thinking that you can win it and that you will fight for everything," said Câmara.

"But I knew after Australia that we were well positioned. So I just needed to position myself well within the team. I had to understand what I had to do each weekend. I make sure to always drive consistently. As a rookie, I think it was a very good year," reveals Câmara.

However, he doesn't want to let up at the season finale in Monza just because of the title win. "Now I'll try to focus on Monza and finish with a top result."