Rafael Câmara claimed pole position during qualifying for the F3 Hungarian Grand Prix, kicking off his weekend in dominant form. The Brazilian, who has a chance to secure the championship title in Hungary, topped both free practice and qualifying, sending a clear warning to his rivals.
After a tricky qualifying session, in which Câmara found himself back in the pit lane when others were on their flying laps, he was able to deliver a clinical lap to secure the top spot on Sunday’s grid. Speaking about the result, the Ferrari Academy Driver expressed his excitement at being back on pole, something he hadn’t done since Barcelona earlier this season.
“Very happy to be in this position… It was a very tricky session, where when I entered the pit lane, I thought it was over. After that final lap, it was very important, just very happy.”
Mastering the tricky conditions
The pole lap from the Ferrari junior was not just about raw pace, straight from the pits. For Câmara, his final flying lap time was a result of build-up and adaptability throughout the session, as he felt his lap times were not improving.
“To be honest, the laps weren’t getting better and better as I had to basically do three or four warm-up laps. I didn’t go for the push lap at the right time, and to be in sync with Campos, we had to do two slow laps to avoid traffic.”
This different approach ultimately cost Câmara tyre performance, but gave him clear track when he needed it most. Allowing him to set the time, which saw him eight thousandths of a second faster than Mari Boya.
“It was tricky to make sure the pressure was in the right place, tyres at the right temperature. But in the end, we managed to save a good result.”
Despite the amazing result for the team, Câmara admits that TRIDENT and he remain focused on the races, and are not caught up in the excitement of this achievement.
“Just full focus now for the races.”
Championship implications
With just two rounds remaining in the championship, the Brazilian can clinch the championship if he holds a 40-point gap to the rest of the field at the end of this weekend. With this strong qualifying result and the advantage over his main rivals, Câmara isn’t taking anything for granted.
“Of course, for the Championship, it was good, the ones that are closest are Tim Tramnitz and Nikola Tsolov, and they were a bit behind.”
Although the title is within reach, Câmara isn’t letting it distract him this weekend. The TRIDENT driver remains focused on his race, aiming to have a clean weekend.
“Whatever happens, I will just try and maximise for my Championship. Just score good points, and whatever the result will be.”
Even if he secures the title in Hungary, Câmara believes Monza will remain an important test, and insists both he and TRIDENT are fully prepared for it.
“Even if we are there, we still need to fight in Monza, and we are ready, whatever happens. In myself, I will just try and keep it clean and focus on what I can do best.”
