Just one day after a disappointing retirement from the 2025 Melbourne F3 Round Sprint Race, Trident’s Rafael Câmara claimed his maiden F3 win in the Feature, putting himself at the top of the F3 championship table with 28 points—25 from the race, two for qualifying on pole, and one for setting the fastest lap during the race. It was an excellent end to an up-and-down weekend for the Brazilian debutant.
Câmara pleased with good recovery after disappointment in Melbourne Sprint
After the disappointing end to his Sprint Race, especially after such promising Friday Practice and Qualifying Sessions, Câmara is “very happy” to have claimed the win, especially in the dismal conditions during the F3 Melbourne Feature Race.
“Yeah, very happy for the result of today, especially after the race yesterday where I had the crash. So it’s very good to come back and be strong today.”
“Tough conditions where it was first time on wet this weekend but I think the team did an amazing job to keep it all clean and once we started the race [I] just managed to keep on track because I knew it was going to be tough and then after that was just managing the tyres and the pace.”
With such excellent results behind him, Câmara is looking forward to testing in Bahrain.
“So very happy with the result and looking forward [to] Bahrain.”
While speaking to the media, including Pit Debrief, after his F3 Melbourne Feature Race win, Câmara, also described his team’s 1-2 as a “big relief” and added that he was pleased with what Trident had been able to accomplish with him and his teammate Noah Strømsted who finished P2, and with Charlie Wurz who finished P6.
“It was a big relief. To win pole and not score many points in the weekend is not the ideal scenario. I just wanted to keep it clean for today. I’m just happy with the work the team has done.”
Câmara “a bit careful” to get the job done around tricky Albert Park Circuit
Despite it being his first weekend racing around the Albert Park Circuit, Câmara seemed comfortable, managing comfortable leads under racing conditions. Despite this, however, the driver described the conditions as “tricky” and explained that he had had to be careful to get the job done, and ultimately bring home the win.
“Yeah, first time [in wet conditions] on [a] street circuit, so something different for me where it was just basically one line [with] the grip and if you’re missing [it] a bit, you’re just sliding.”
“So this was very tricky, because if you try to push a little bit more and then you go out of the line, you just completely lose the grip and you can almost spin or do something bad.”
“So I was just a bit careful with that and doing the job that I needed to do.”
Trident had better understanding of new tyres after Melbourne race weekend
While there had been some concerns that the new tyres introduced for the 2025 F3 season would add difficulty to the Melbourne round, Câmara does not believe that they affected his race. Instead, he described them as feeling similar to those used in previous years.
“To be honest, I felt very similar to the tyres from last year even if I didn’t [do] much laps.”
“But I think for the team as well, [the tyres were] quite easy to understand and after this race I think we’re in a still long way [to go in the championship], of course, but I think we let’s say we know how to use them and to perform in the right spot.”
He added that, overall, he had felt quite comfortable with his tyres throughout the weekend, despite not being able to do many laps, especially under racing conditions, in the dry.
“I think I’m feeling pretty well, obviously on the race I didn’t manage to do many laps on dry but I think the team has good information about everything and I just can’t wait to start in Bahrain.”
Câmara planned ahead to maximise performance in Melbourne F3 Feature Race
In addition to his comfort and control of his car, Câmara can attribute his victory to excellent preparation. While responding to a question from Pit Debrief, the Brazilian rookie explained that to prepare for his race, he had studied onboard from previous seasons to familiarise himself with the track, especially as he and Trident had anticipated there being many Safety Cars during the race.
“Yeah I think we, I looked some onboards from F2 2023 to see a bit of [the racing] lines as [I] never drove here and then I think for the race [we just wanted to] keep on track.”
“We knew it was going to be a lot of safety cars so just to make sure that I was keeping my position, understanding well the line, what was the grip and from there on just keep it safe, keep it clean and to do what I know to do.”
Câmara “confident and motivated” after F3 debut performance in Melbourne
In addition to earning him some vital championship points, Câmara’s excellent performance in the Melbourne Round has improved his confidence and motivation as he looks forward to the rest of the 2025 F3 season.
“I think I [got] some very good confidence wet and dry. [It] looks like we can be fast in both so very motivated to see the test in Bahrain for the races upcoming and I will just focus on myself.”
“Very happy with what the team have done over the winter and just can’t wait to start the test in Bahrain.”
He added that Trident’s good results had also improved the team’s confidence going into testing in Bahrain, but noted that there were still “a lot of steps” that needed to be taken to maximise the team’s competitiveness throughout the season.
“Yeah, a good couple of results for Trident. I think it’s good to start like that. Of course, it gives the team and me some confidence for the championship but still a lot of steps to test in Bahrain so everything can be different there.”
“I think as a team we’re just going to focus well on our job, keep doing what we’re doing. I think we start in a good way we have a good base so from here I think we can do even better steps and be always in the fighting position.”
Câmara to “focus on [himself]” as he fights for the 2025 F3 Championship
Despite his successful start to his F3 career, Câmara plans to focus on himself and take “each new race as a new start” as he understands that he faces fierce competition during the remaining rounds of the season.
“I think always you start a competition you always want to win so, of course, I will try to do that but we all know it’s not easy.”
“It’s high championship level so I [will] just focus on myself, take each race as a new start from the zero [regardless of whatever way we] finished the race before. So [I will] try to keep it clean and see where we end up [at] the end of the championship.
