Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara claimed his third pole position of the season in Qualifying at the 2026 F2 Silverstone round, edging out Alex Dunne and Kush Maini to secure himself a front-row start for Sunday’s Feature Race. The Brazilian’s qualifying consistency continues to shine as he aims to hunt down his second win and to close the gap to championship rivals Gabriele Minì and Nikola Tsolov.
Having qualified inside the top six in every Qualifying session so far, Câmara has established himself as one of the championship’s standout performers on Fridays. Speaking in the post-Qualifying press conference, the 21 year-old told Pit Debrief and other media outlets that one-lap pace has always been one of his greatest strengths.
“I think I’ve been always good in a few laps, I think learning when you need to do it, and I think especially F2, F3, free practice, you don’t have a lot of time. And going to quali, also another compound, especially F2, is a bit different than F3.”
He added: “I think that for sure it helps a lot, and obviously being in a good team, so always having a good kind of competitive car to be able to be fighting for poles and always be consistent there at the front.”
“And yeah, I think this year has been very good, we’ve always been there at the front, and hopefully we can continue with the work and keep the same pace.”
Executed “a decent lap” to be at the front
“When you close the lap, for sure I felt a good lap, but yeah, you don’t really know where you are, but I was feeling good.”, he admitted, reflecting on the lap that put him on pole. “I felt it was a decent lap to be there at the front, already from free practice I was feeling good with the car, and also doing the second lap in the first run, I knew we had the chance to be fighting.”
“I was quite happy with that, it was a good lap, everything was in place, and for sure it’s a nice place to start on Sunday. Tomorrow, it makes it a bit more interesting, but for sure we’re going to try our best.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s Feature Race, the Brazilian explained that his approach remains focused on taking each race as it comes. Although starting from P10 in Saturday’s Sprint Race presents a greater challenge, Câmara is determined to maximise his opportunities across both races.
“I think every moment, just focusing race by race, just trying to see what we can maximise, like I said, obviously tomorrow will be a bit more tough, starting more in the back, but for sure on Sunday we’re going to have good chances, and just trying to maximise where we can take it.”
“Looking forward to both races, it’s always exciting here, the racing, so at the moment not any rain chance, but that makes things a bit more interesting, but yeah, just make sure that we’re preparing well and be ready for both races.”
Câmara weighs in on track limits
The Brazilian was one of several drivers to have their first push laps deleted for track limits. This caught a number of drivers out and increased the pressure to deliver a clean yet competitive lap in order to climb further up the order.
Reflecting on the lap that saw him exceed track limits, he said: “Yeah, did the track limits, the first push on the first run, definitely was not ideal, but it felt like it was quite under control, everything, and every time I was doing a clean lap, I was not really thinking about track limits, because I think what you are doing is already quite a big mistake.”
He continued: “So yeah, I was quite comfortable with that, not really thinking about track limits, even if I did it in the first lap, but it was, yeah, a very different place than what it normally is.”
“The other two corners where you are a bit more exposed to the track limits were feeling very good the whole session, so for me it was quite okay.”
Câmara: “Nice to be on pole” but the job is not done yet
“Yeah, definitely it’s a good chance, starting from P1, of course, makes your life easier. But for now, Monaco is not that case. So yeah, 50-50 maybe, no? Maybe I crash tomorrow or tomorrow Sunday.”, he joked, noting that he still had to cross the line first on Sunday to say he had successfully converted pole into a win.
“No, jokes aside. Just focusing race by race, we see how it will go. Make sure we prepare in a good way, that we are ready for every scenario and hopefully we can get some good points.”
Currently sitting 3rd in the Drivers’ Standings with 82 points, starting on pole presents itself as a strong one, with Minì in P10 and Tsolov in P5. Having recognised it as a good opportunity to capitalise on, Câmara said they would still need to put it all together in both the Sprint and Feature Races.
“Yeah, I mean, for sure it’s a good thing.”, he said. “We’re a bit behind the championship, so for sure that it’s good to start in front. But like I said, in the race series F2, it can happen a lot of things. So it’s nice to be on pole, nice to be ahead, but for sure we need to get the job done in quali and we’ll see how we will be tomorrow and Sunday.”
Switching from the hard to soft tyres
Like Barcelona, the Silverstone weekend features a step in tyre compounds, with Pirelli opting to bring the hard and soft compounds. When asked by Pit Debrief about adapting to the jump from hard tyres in practice to soft tyres in Qualifying, he explained that while it is certainly not easy, thorough preparation between sessions helps drivers acclimatise to the change and identify areas for improvement.
“Yeah, I think definitely it’s not easy. It’s a very big jump, two seconds and a half. It’s a bit like first lap, in a way you’re a bit catching the grip. And I think maybe that was why a lot of mistakes were done in the first push.”, he said.
“But like always, we just try to make sure we’re doing a good preparation and knowing already what will you need to focus on, where you can improve. For sure, it’s a bigger jump than I think what we would normally do. But for sure, I think, like I said, you always prepare and you know what to do and how to get improved into the run.”
“Getting stronger” with Invicta Racing
For the reigning Formula 3 Champion, the step up to F2 has appeared almost seamless. Câmara continues to consistently qualifying inside the top six and has already claimed one Feature Race win and two podiums.
Reflecting on how his approach has changed since his championship-winning campaign last year, he explained: “I think it didn’t really change much. Just doing my job, making sure that I’m doing the things that I feel also in a way you enjoy and doing things naturally.”
“But at the same point, I think it was a lot of learning, especially in the races, doing the pit stops. I think that was a big difference compared to all the previous years. And I think, yeah, every race I keep learning, keep understanding the car as well.”
Looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow countryman Gabriel Bortoleto, he said that he and the team are growing stronger each round. As the 2026 F2 Silverstone round marks the halfway point of the season, Câmara hopes they can maintain this positive trajectory and continue to deliver strong results moving forwards.
“Obviously a new team this year and I think that also in a way race by race you’re getting more connected with the team and they understand more yourself, how you work and also you understand how they work. So just getting stronger I think.”
He added: “I feel like every race weekend we’re putting everything more together and I just feel like we’re getting stronger. So hopefully we can continue this job in this positive way and hopefully we can do some good results and good races.”
A “quite decent” 2026 campaign so far says Câmara
Alongside Tsolov, the Brazilian has settled quickly and comfortably into the championship. Reflecting on his season so far, he acknowledged missed opportunities in Montreal and Monaco but emphasised that the team continues to grow stronger and learn as the season progresses.
“Yeah, I think season has been quite decent.”, he said. “Obviously with Monaco and Montreal could be in a better place. But I think like I said, just keep this positive, try and work in understanding more each other and hopefully getting stronger through the season.”
