With one round remaining, Rafael Câmara secured the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. He became the third straight TRIDENT driver to claim the title. Dominating the season, he scored four Feature Race wins and a record five Pole Positions. The F3 crown followed his 2024 FRECA triumph, marking two titles in two years. As part of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, he received strong support from the Formula 1 team. Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Deputy Team Principal, praised Câmara’s progress in F3. According to d’Ambrosio, Câmara met every expectation. Most impressive was his composure in high-pressure moments.
F3 season of Câmara topped Ferrari’s expectations
For Ferrari, Câmara’s season ticked every box. From the very first round, he delivered results that matched the team’s high expectations. Deputy Team Principal d’Ambrosio made that clear. “When you’ve got a talent like Rafa, this might sound harsh, but it is what you’re expecting and is what you want to see,” he said. With the pressure on, Câmara rose to the occasion.
According to d’Ambrosio, Ferrari’s role was to provide the right support—nothing more, nothing less. “Our job is to support him in the best possible way so that he can deliver that and can express his talents to the maximum of his capacity.” Crucially, Câmara made that support count. “That’s what he did,” d’Ambrosio added.
“Honestly, I don’t think we could have hoped for better. This season started strong, he managed really well in the moments where things were more tense, and I think that the race we saw on Sunday sums it up.”
Câmara’s composure under pressure made the difference
Calm under pressure has become one of Câmara’s defining traits in F3, according to Deputy Team Principal d’Ambrosio. Even with the title on the line, he stayed composed. “He’s definitely more relaxed,” d’Ambrosio said. “He seemed more relaxed than all of us. And that’s a trait of Rafa, that I think is one of his strengths.” In a season where the margins were often razor-thin, that composure made the difference.
At times, Câmara was pushed right to the edge—but he never overstepped. “It could have been easy for him to make a mistake,” d’Ambrosio continued. Yet, he remained precise, delivering speed without sacrificing control.
“You could see that he was driving on the limit. He was fast, but he was under control. He chose when to push, chose when to open the gap, and that shows that he was in control.”
Câmara’s growth throughout the years
For d’Ambrosio, the signs of Câmara’s growth in F3 were clear. “I think he’s evolved throughout the years,” he said, reflecting on the driver’s recent form. “And I think what we’ve seen in the last few races is that he’s found some real strength in the fight for the title.”
That strength was on full display in Budapest, where a hard-fought Sprint Race saw him go wheel-to-wheel on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult. “He managed to push when he needed and managed to grab some points in the reverse grid race, which is great in Formula 3 because in Budapest, it’s not a given.”
The challenge now, D’Ambrosio explained, is to build on that foundation. “He has got a lot of strengths, and the focus will be to try to work to make him even stronger in all areas.”
