The FIA F2 Qualifying session at the 2026 Canadian GP delivered high drama from start to finish, and Rafael Câmara found himself at the centre of it. After enduring a difficult Free Practice session earlier in the day, the Brazilian returned strongly in Qualifying and immediately established himself as one of the leading contenders for pole position.
However, the session soon became complicated. Câmara clipped the wall during his first stint, forcing his Invicta Racing team into rapid repair work before the final run. Despite the setback, the Brazilian returned to the circuit and secured P2, underlining both his pace and the resilience of the team around him.
Nevertheless, the outcome of Qualifying later changed after the Stewards handed Câmara a three-place grid penalty for both the Sprint Race and Feature Race. The Invicta Racing driver was found to have unnecessarily impeded Alexander Dunne during the session. Following a post-session hearing involving both drivers and their team representatives, the Stewards reviewed the available video evidence and determined that Câmara had breached Article 31.6 of the FIA F2 Sporting Regulations.
Câmara later reflected on his session in a virtual press conference attended by Pit Debrief, before the Stewards’ decision altered his starting positions for Saturday and Sunday.
Câmara recovers strongly in F2 Qualifying after difficult Free Practice at the Canadian GP
Although Free Practice had not gone according to plan, Câmara explained that Invicta Racing identified the changes needed ahead of Qualifying. Consequently, the Brazilian felt much more comfortable once the session began and quickly established himself near the front of the field.
“Definitely not an easy session. I think we started quite strong in this session. After FP, we were not in the right place, but I think we got a good read of what we needed to do for Quali, and then we started on the right foot.”
After making a strong start to Qualifying, Câmara looked firmly in contention at the front before slight contact with the wall disrupted his session. Nevertheless, Invicta Racing reacted quickly to repair the car and return him to the circuit for the decisive final run.
“So I was quite confident it was going to be a good Quali, but then it was a small touch on the wall and the team did an amazing job to fix it for the last run. Then we were able to maximise it and to be there on the front row. It is a good place to start for the race on Sunday, and then obviously on Saturday we’ll try our best.”
The recovery effort ultimately allowed Câmara to secure P2, placing him in a strong position heading into the weekend’s races.
Improved tyre preparation boosts Câmara’s pace
Câmara later detailed how the improvements made after Free Practice transformed the balance and feeling of the car during Qualifying. In particular, he pointed to the tyre warm-up process as a key factor behind his improved confidence.
“Yeah, I think we started quite well. Feeling already from the warm-up, [that] the tyre was coming quite well and the confidence was there,” he said in response to a question from Pit Debrief. “So we just put in place what we learned from FP. And yeah, driving the car and then everything was more in place. And I think that came just more natural and then was there from the first push.”
However, despite his strong pace throughout the session, Câmara admitted that the red flags and heavy traffic prevented him from fully maximising his final push laps. Furthermore, he acknowledged that his own earlier mistake also affected the rhythm of the session.
“So after that, I was quite confident we’re going to be fighting for the pole. But yeah, after the red flags, it was not ideal. Also the mistake of myself. And yeah, I think I was just not really able to… I think on the traffic, also in the warm-up, the second run was not very ideal. So in terms of confidence as well, it was not really good for the push laps.”
The recovery effort ultimately allowed Câmara to secure P2 on the road, although the later penalty dropped him further down the starting order for both races.
Câmara praises Invicta Racing’s recovery effort in F2 Qualifying at the 2026 Canadian GP
Although pole position ultimately slipped away, Câmara reserved particular praise for Invicta Racing after the team repaired the damaged car in time for the closing stages of Qualifying.
“But anyway, I think we did a good job to be in P2. Like I said before, the team did a very good job in fixing the car to make sure that we’re going to have another attempt. But yeah, just very happy with the job they did. And in the end, we have a good position for the race.”
Despite the subsequent penalty decision, the Brazilian still emerged from the session with confidence in both his pace and the team’s execution under pressure
Wall contact fails to alter Câmara’s approach
Despite the damage sustained earlier in the session, Câmara insisted that he did not change his driving approach during the decisive final laps. Instead, he continued pushing to maximise every corner while remaining fully committed.
“Not really. I’m just trying to always maximise every corner, and just do the best job I can to make sure that I was putting it all together, and I think we managed to do that quite well. I’m pretty happy with what we did, it didn’t change much.”
That determination proved crucial in a session where mistakes carried heavy consequences around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve’s unforgiving walls.
Dusty conditions and tight walls increase the challenge at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Montreal’s street-style layout created additional complications throughout Qualifying. Dust offline, heavy bumps and narrow margins punished even the smallest mistakes, forcing drivers to carefully balance aggression with precision.
In response to a question from Pit Debrief, Câmara acknowledged the difficulty of managing those conditions while still extracting performance from the car.
“Yeah, I think that [it] would be like always, to be honest. In the end, walls or not, you always try to keep on track, not going out or doing mistakes. So I think the approach is pretty much the same—making sure that we’re doing our things properly, doing a good job and being out of trouble. So I think, yeah, it’s not an easy track for sure, very bumpy. If you go out a bit off the line, it’s very dirty. So just keep it tidy and make sure that we bring some good points in the races.”
Câmara prioritises clean laps over tow advantage in Montreal
Slipstreaming played an important role throughout Qualifying, with many drivers searching for a beneficial tow along Montreal’s long straights. Nevertheless, Câmara revealed that he focused primarily on securing clear track space rather than chasing aerodynamic gains.
“Yeah, we had the idea that it was going to be a good thing to have a tow. But it was very messy out there with the traffic. In the end, I was just looking to have a clean lap, even if it was alone, just to be out there in the front.
“We know that the big points is in the races. So just to start there in the front is already a good place to fight. So yeah, I was just prioritising to have a clean lap and not really looking for a tow.”
Although the later grid penalty complicated his weekend, Câmara’s underlying pace still placed him firmly among the leading contenders heading into the races.
Câmara prepares for possible wet-weather challenge in F2 Feature Race at the 2026 Canadian GP
With the weekend’s limited data having been collected in the dry, there has been curiousity over how the teams and drivers will prepare for Sunday’s Feature Race, where changing weather forecasts could introduce another layer of unpredictability. Rain remains a possibility, and Câmara expects the conditions to create significant challenges around the narrow Montreal circuit. Even so, he believes the lessons learned earlier this season in Miami could prove valuable if wet weather arrives.
“Yeah, I think the approach is very similar as always. I think both scenarios, just try to prepare as much as you can. And yeah, I think it’s a bit difficult to know because it keeps changing all the time. But I think if it rains, just try to keep the learnings of Miami and put more in place here in Montreal. Definitely not an easy track in the rain, not a lot of margin for errors, so a tricky track, especially in the rain.
“But yeah, I think it will be good. It can happen a lot of things. It will be a good opportunity, I think, as well. But whatever happens, I think we’re going to be ready for both conditions.”
After surviving an eventful Qualifying session, recovering from wall contact and later receiving a grid penalty, Câmara now heads into the remainder of the F2 weekend at the 2026 Canadian GP facing an even greater challenge to convert his pace into strong results.
