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Rafael Câmara happy with points haul after tricky Spielberg weekend
Rafael Câmara came away from the Spielberg weekend without a podium, but the Invicta Racing driver remains confident despite missing out on a top three.
He wound up fourth in Sunday's Feature Race after an intense battle with Rodin Motorsport's Alexander Dunne. Speaking in the paddock afterwards, Câmara says that the fight with his title rival probably cost him a chance at finishing in the top three.
"Definitely not an easy race," he said post-race. "My start wasn't the best, I was still able to get back by Goethe, but then at T6 I got a bit stuck, and I ended up back behind him.
"That made the strategy difficult. It would have been better to stay in front of him, but it was still good. In the end it was quite intense with Dunne, probably a bit too much of a battle. I think we'll take that as good points for the Championship, and we'll move forward."
The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent wound up defending rather than attacking in the final laps, as ART Grand Prix's Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak went on the hunt.
The Thai driver was one of the few to opt for the alternative strategy of running the Softs in a long first stint, before going aggressive in the final leg of the race on Supersofts.
Câmara says that he was bracing for a difficult battle to keep hold of fourth position but also noted that he was in that position in the first place after a tricky Friday took him out of pole position contention.
"I thought it was going to be very tough to keep him behind on the last lap. So I was quite pleased that we were able to get that P4.
"Things could have been a bit different without that battle with Alex. Maybe we could have been on the podium. But we'll take it. I mean, in a way we maximised the result, because I think I was taking a lot of risks with Alex. But for sure we have the potential to be up there. I think we've been strong this weekend.
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"In quali, I also made a slight mistake, ended up slightly behind where we should have been on the grid, and once you're behind, you need to fight a bit more.
"So, overall, I think it was a good weekend with a lot of positives. We'll go to Silverstone with better pace, I'm sure."
With Spielberg in the books, everyone heads to Silverstone for the second leg of this double-header and what will be Invicta's home event.
Despite his relative inexperience of the British circuit, with 2025's visit in Formula 3 machinery being his first time around the famous venue, Câmara is optimistic of his and his team's chances there.
He added that no matter what happens, he is still confident of a championship challenge, adding that every point-scoring finish could be vital come the end of the season.
"I feel very positive for the race weekend. Last year was my first time there and it was a track that I enjoyed, so I'm looking forward to being there again.
"There's a lot of races to go. We're still in the fight, a lot of things can happen. A lot of races, a lot of points still to be won. So, I think we're in a good position.
"We will focus on ourselves, but for sure we're going to be confident we can be there fighting every race weekend. I have a good team behind me, so I'm really confident we can do a good job. I'll just focus on the job, maximise everything, and hopefully have another solid weekend."