With five rounds completed in the 2025 Formula 3 season, Rafael Câmara has firmly established himself as the driver to beat. The TRIDENT rookie currently leads the championship by 26 points over Nikola Tsolov.
Câmara’s season has been brilliant, showcasing his remarkable speed, particularly in qualifying. However, the Trident driver’s season has also been shaped by moments of bad luck on track.
Round 1: Melbourne
Câmara kicked off his Formula 3 campaign in style. After a short pre-season test, he arrived in Melbourne as the driver to beat. Câmara immediately set the pace in the only free practice session of the weekend. He was able to carry that speed into qualifying, ensuring he would start from pole position in his first F3 feature race.
Unfortunately, the highs of Friday meant nothing on a difficult sprint race Saturday. With the reverse grid, Câmara started twelfth, right in the middle of F3 chaos. His first race in the series was brought to an end following a collision with James Wharton and Laurens van Hoepen.
Despite Saturday’s misfortune, the Ferrari junior was able to bounce back in tricky conditions on Sunday. Câmara dominated from the rolling start, immediately pulling clear of the field. The heavy rain didn’t deter the rookie as he claimed a commanding first victory in Melbourne.
Placing himself in the championship lead.
Round 2: Bahrain
Following in-season testing in Bahrain, TRIDENT and Câmara remained the ones to beat. Displaying exceptional pace and consistency, by claimed yet another pole position. However, a stall at the start of the sprint race continued his Saturday misfortunes. Câmara recovered, finishing the race just outside the points in P12.
Similarly to Melbourne, Câmara quickly bounced back in the feature race. Despite losing the lead off the line to Callum Voisin, the rookie fiercely fought to reclaim P1. He pulled clear of his rivals to cross the finish line and claim his second feature race win of the season.
Extending his championship lead over his competitors.
Round 3: Imola
Returning to Europe for the triple header, Câmara once again secured pole position. Making him the only pole sitter the series had seen in 2025. After starting P12 for the reverse grid sprint, Câmara moved up to finish eleventh after a safety car affected race.
The Feature Race delivered another thrilling contest. Although Câmara lost the lead early to Ramos, he fought back with a decisive DRS move to reclaim P1 on Lap 4. As the race entered its closing stages, pressure from Ramos and Strømsted forced a small mistake from Câmara, costing him the lead and second place. Nevertheless, he finished on the podium in P3, claiming critical championship points.
Round 4: Monaco
The Monaco Grand Prix was a difficult weekend for the championship leader. After four rounds, Câmara was not on pole for the race. After qualifying eighth, he was awarded a 3-place grid penalty for both the feature and sprint races. In the Sprint race, he was able to recover to finish seventh and in the points.
Disaster struck in the Feature Race. Battling hard in the closing laps, Câmara lost a tyre and was forced to retire just before the finish. It was a painful blow for Câmara, as although he kept his championship lead, he lost crucial points to Nikola Tsolov who now sat second in the championship.
Round 5: Barcelona
The Spanish Grand Prix marked the end of the triple header for F3, but it also marked Câmara’s comeback to form. Following two weekends of less-than-ideal performances from the Brazilian, he ended the triple header in style.
Câmara made history by becoming the driver with the most pole positions in Formula 3 history. In just his rookie season in the competition, the TRIDENT driver has made his talent clear to any motorsport fan.
Despite making history on Friday, Saturday’s misfortunes returned as his Sprint Race ended in disappointment. After a slow start, Taponen was collected by Câmara at Turn 1, damaging his front wing and forcing him to retire.
However, in true Câmara style, he returned to form on Sunday. Securing a pole to the chequered flag win. Câmara led confidently into Turn 1, expertly managing multiple Safety Car restarts and absorbing pressure from Van Hoepen and Naël. His racecraft and composure delivered another dominant win, helping him extend his championship lead to 26 points.
Looking ahead for Câmara
Regardless of some setbacks, Câmara’s ability to repeatedly bounce back has made him the standout driver of the season so far. His remarkable one-lap pace in qualifying has made it incredibly difficult for his rivals to challenge him for pole position.
If Câmara can continue this form into the second half of the season, holding off threats like Nikola Tsolov, the Ferrari Academy driver may soon graduate from promising rookie to 2025 Formula 3 Champion.
