Rafael Câmara secured an important second-place finish in the 2026 F2 Italian GP Feature Race as Invicta Racing completed a commanding one-two at Monza.
Starting from pole position alongside teammate Joshua Dürksen, Câmara lost the advantage at the opening chicane before the pair traded the lead during the early stages. Câmara managed to move back ahead on Lap 4, but Dürksen regained the upper hand through the mandatory pit-stop phase. A Safety Car later brought the field back together, and while Câmara closed in during the final laps, Dürksen resisted the pressure to complete a clean sweep of the Monza weekend.
The result provided a strong response for Câmara after an engine issue forced him to retire from Saturday’s Sprint Race. More importantly, the points kept him firmly in the Drivers’ Championship battle, with only 11 points separating him from Nikola Tsolov as the season heads towards its closing stages.
Speaking in the post-race press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Câmara reflected on his race, his late pursuit of Dürksen and the championship fight, while also looking ahead to the new challenge awaiting the field in Madrid.
A strong recovery after Sprint Race disappointment
Although Câmara started the Feature Race from pole, his launch did not go entirely to plan. Dürksen moved ahead into the opening chicane, while Câmara initially settled into second before the two Invicta drivers began fighting for control of the race.
Câmara explained that he had hoped the opening stint would remain uninterrupted, particularly because the timing of a Safety Car could complicate the strategy for two teammates running at the front. He also felt traffic during the pit-stop phase cost him valuable time.
“Yeah, obviously the start was not the ideal one, but it was okay starting getting to P2 and then from there on just trying to hold the position. Obviously I was hoping for no safety car at the beginning because for me and Joshua [Dürksen] after the safety car window would be a problem for one of us. But until then it was quite okay, we were able to have a clean race and then with the pit stop I think we lost a bit of time there getting stuck with other cars.
“But overall I think it was a very good race, very solid after yesterday as well. Being a bit unlucky I think it was good to to score some good points today and obviously very happy for Joshua and the team that we were able to do a P1 and P2 today.”
Câmara pushes Dürksen until the final laps
Dürksen established an advantage following the Safety Car restart at the F2 Feature Race in Monza, but Câmara gradually reduced the gap as the race entered its closing stages. The Brazilian eventually moved within striking distance of his teammate and remained close until the chequered flag.
Despite wanting to challenge for victory, Câmara credited Dürksen for the pace he showed throughout the Feature Race. He also highlighted Invicta’s recent progress as the championship prepares to move on from Monza.
“Yeah, I was really trying to get closer to at least try and move. Obviously I wanted to win as well but I think Joshua today did a very good job. He had a very good pace and was just very close. So a huge congrats for him and we keep pushing. I think we’ve been doing good steps. I think every race the whole team we were stronger and just good to keep this momentum for Madrid.”
Championship fight remains wide open
Câmara’s second-place finish also delivered a valuable haul of championship points following his Sprint Race retirement. With 11 points separating him from Tsolov, the fight remains finely poised heading into the final part of the campaign.
Rather than changing his approach because of the championship situation, Câmara wants to continue maximising his own performance. He believes his consistency across the most recent rounds gives him reason for confidence as the title battle continues.
“I think on that side, like I said before, just really focus on my side trying to get things to maximize what I can do and take the points and I think we did very well today. Like I said yesterday was a bit unlucky and just keeping this this momentum. I think the last five rounds we’ve always been there, always consistent. So just need to keep doing our job and for sure the fight is still open and we keep pushing to the end. So we never give up.”
Keeping things simple as the pressure builds
The closing stages of the championship will bring additional pressure as every point becomes increasingly important. With Madrid and Azerbaijan set to play a significant role in deciding the outcome of the season, drivers fighting at the front have little room for error.
Câmara, however, does not intend to let the wider championship picture change how he approaches each weekend. Instead, he wants to avoid overcomplicating matters and focus on delivering his strongest possible performance.
“Yeah I think like you said you know on my side just try to keep things simple. I’m just really focusing on myself trying to do the best job I can. I think when you try to overdo things and then you start to complicate and you have problems so just really focus in doing what we can do. I think there’s not much to complicate and hopefully we can we can get good results in the end of the championship.”
A completely different challenge awaits in Madrid
After racing around the high-speed Monza circuit, F2 will face a dramatically different challenge at the new street circuit in Madrid. Pit Debrief asked the podium finishers how they would approach the short turnaround between two contrasting venues, particularly with the Madrid circuit representing an unfamiliar challenge.
Câmara expects the new track to prove difficult. With limited running available in F2, he stressed the importance of preparation before the weekend even begins and of building confidence immediately once Free Practice gets underway.
“Yeah obviously it will be a bit more tricky in Madrid. It’s a track that was the first time I think for everyone and we saw in F3 how tricky it was with the red flags so I mean in the end of the day I think we tried to do our best preparations we can like always. Now we just have the team ready to try something and prepare us so trying to focus on that and make sure that we are prepared.”
“We’re not experiencing anything of course you’re going to experience something new but you try as much as to be comfortable in that first lap in FP. We know that in F2 and F3 you’re very limited on laps so just trying to to get that confidence on the beginning as quick as possible and make sure that we’re good in a good place for for the qualifying.”
Dürksen simply had the edge at Monza
While Câmara came increasingly close to his teammate during the closing stages of the F2 Feature Race at Monza, he could not find a way past. He admitted frustration started to build after spending several laps behind the Paraguayan, particularly as his chances of taking victory began to disappear.
However, Câmara ultimately felt Dürksen had executed the stronger race. Although the pit-stop phase may have cost him some time, the Brazilian acknowledged that his teammate delivered both a strong restart and the pace required to stay ahead.
“Yeah I think Joshua was in a very good form today. Probably on the pit stop I think I lost a bit of time with the cars so we had to wait a bit there but I think after after the Safety Car I was back behind him again. He had a good restart, good pace so I was really trying hard to overtake him in the end. On the last lap I was a bit getting a bit annoyed by being so many laps behind. But yeah I really tried to make something but today he was just better so yeah not much to do just trying to prepare for the next one and be in a better shape.”
Sprint Race retirement left Câmara with less information
Câmara entered Sunday’s F2 Feature Race with less race mileage than he would have wanted after his Sprint Race ended prematurely with an engine problem in Monza. That retirement denied him the opportunity to gather a full race distance of information ahead of the Feature Race. When asked whether the reduced running played a part in preventing him from challenging Dürksen more strongly, Câmara conceded that completing Saturday’s race could have helped him refine the car’s balance. Nevertheless, he refused to use it as an excuse. With both Câmara and Invicta already familiar with the demands of Monza, he felt Dürksen simply produced the stronger performance on Sunday.
“I think on my side probably getting a bit of a better race yesterday could help with the balance but overall I think he did a good job. Monza is a track that the team knows very well. I know very well so today I think he was just stronger than me.”
