Rafael Câmara on his 2026 title mentality, jumping in a Ferrari and Formula 1 prospects

It has not been a straightforward season for Rafael Câmara but once again he finds himself in the thick of a title fight.

The Invicta Racing driver has achieving five podiums – including two Feature Race victories in Barcelona and Spa-Francorchamps – and a paddock-leading four Pole Positions.

But while there have been many highs, there have also been some lows. In Monte Carlo, a mistake out his outlap after pitting ended his Feature Race early – costing him a victory.

In Montreal, while fighting for a podium on Sunday, a move Câmara described as “optimistic” on Roman Bilinski saw him drop down the order and he finished in P14.

But after each of these setbacks was a fightback. After his down weekend in Monaco, Câmara dominated the Barcelona Feature Race from pole.

The 21-year-old lost out on a podium place after once again starting from the front at Silverstone, but he rebounded with a win he described as his “best race” in Formula 2 at Spa-Francorchamps.

MENTAL RESILLIENCE

For the Brazilian, this season has proven how strong his mental approach has been.

“This year I've been very good on that,” he says on his mentality. “I would say those two weekends I hold myself accountable bit more but obviously you want to fight.

“Montreal was a bit too risky, sometimes you don’t need to take that risk. Monaco, the big mistake was already done before, but the fight with Nikola caused another mistake.

READ MORE

• WHAT WE LEARNED: The key takeaways and talking points leaving Round 9 in Budapest
• Chasing the Dream Season 8 Episode 10 – Out Today

“So some moments I need to take it easier on myself, even if it's tough in that moment. I think in terms of the mental side I'm quite confident that we are strong. We work very well as a team, and whatever happens, happens.

“It's the mentality of just trying to learn as much as I can with the team, grow together, so we just get stronger through the season.

“At the beginning of the season, I wanted to make sure that I was doing my best and not leaving anything on the table. But for sure there are things that I could have done better, and I think in a way it was part of the learning as well.”

WORKING WITH ENGINEER AND INVICTA

For the second consecutive season in his career, Câmara is racing with a new team. Last year, in his title-winning Formula 3 campaign, he raced with TRIDENT, and in 2026 it is Invicta.

It is the first time the 21-year-old has raced for an English team, but he says there is not a huge difference, with both teams having people who worked within their operation for years.

Câmara has also enjoyed working with his race engineer, saying their 'no ego' approach has allowed both to be as transparent as they can be with each other.

“It's a place where you have a very nice vibe,” he says. “It's a very nice place to be, everyone working in the same direction, pushing 100% for each other.

“Every weekend we get to understand each other better and I am feeling more at home. So it's been good, but we need to keep working how we have been and everything will be good.

“I think my engineer and I, we are very transparent. We've been working very well since I started, and he's a very nice person.

“Obviously in the moments I make mistakes, he's transparent and no one keeps anything from each other. Every time we speak with each other, we are very open. So we don't have any egos, and that lets us work very well together.”

READ MORE

• Câmara happy with ‘best Sprint’ of the season after finishing fourth in Budapest
• Câmara aiming for more in Budapest after ‘best race’ in F2 at Spa

IMPRESSIVE QUALIFYING FORM

That work has translated into some strong performances, especially over one lap. Until Budapest – where Kush Maini took his second pole of the season – Câmara was the only driver to have more than one Aramco Pole Position Award.

The Invicta driver has four on the season and has impressively qualified inside the top six at every round this year.

Câmara credits this success to the team but also to his psychologist, who he speaks to often, for his ability to deliver most when it matters.

“First of all, FP is very important,” he explains. “You learn where you need to be in quali, what you need to do with your team, and in the car setup. I've been lucky as well, that I've been always been with good teams.

“I think on my side I really try to focus on the moment, and the things that I can control. Whatever me and the car can do at the moment we take that.

“Of course I do some work with my psychologist, we speak a lot, and I always try to put myself in a good position for quali, making sure that I am focused on the right things.”

DRIVING A FERRARI

This form has also been noticed by Ferrari. Câmara has been a member of the Italian giants’ academy since 2022 and this year he has jumped into their Formula 1 car on several occasions.

For many it is the dream to drive an F1 car, let alone for Ferrari, and the Brazilian recalled the first time he did so earlier this year and how it compared to what he has been used too.

“It’s something that you always want to try, driving an F1 car,” he recalls. “My parents were there, and it is something that the whole family has been working towards for a very long time, so it was special for me and for my family.

“Obviously, the dream is to be in Formula 1 full time. But it was something that was very emotional at the time. At the same time, it's your work.

“You try to enjoy it as much as you can, but you still need to do a good job. But it was a very nice experience knowing how they work in F1. Obviously, I have sometimes been there during the race weekends, but it's another thing when you're actually the driver.

“I learned a lot working with them. It's crazy the amount of people that are there just for one driver – well it was Dino in the morning and me in the afternoon – but it's crazy how many people are there for you.”

READ MORE

• WEEKEND ANALYSIS: The different strategy calls that helped Câmara win in Barcelona
• Rafael Câmara on early podiums, strong performances and title ambitions with Invicta Racing

FORMULA 1 RUMOURS

Câmara’s form has led to many rumours that he could be achieving that dream of driving a Formula 1 car full time in 2027.

As the racing pauses during the summer break, it is usually at this point teams and drivers across all three paddocks start to finalise their plans for next season.

The Brazilian acknowledges that is nice to see his name mentioned in those rumours but feels it will count for nothing if he does not do the work needed in Formula 2.

“It's good to see,” he says on him being in contention for a place in F1. “You don't really know at the moment, but it's nice to have this, and to see that the dream is close.

“But at the same time, you don't want to get too much into that because I’m still in a very important championship, and if you do well, most likely you're going to get a chance. So, on my side, I’m just really focusing on this year.

“Not many people get this opportunity, especially being in a team that's one of the best in Formula 2 and having the chance to fight for the championship. So I would just want to make the most of it and make sure that I enjoy every moment.”