Rafael Câmara started his 2026 F2 rookie season with strong momentum and a calm mindset, adapting quickly with Invicta Racing and showing the pace to run close to the front from the opening rounds.
His early performances gave him a solid platform, but he did not treat them as a reason to look too far ahead. Instead, Câmara kept his focus on the work behind each weekend. He wanted to keep learning with the team, understand the car better, and make steady progress across a long season.
That approach shaped how he viewed the first part of the year. The results mattered, but the process mattered just as much. For Câmara, the priority remained clear. Build race by race, take the lessons from each round, and keep strengthening his relationship with Invicta.
Câmara focused on building step by step with Invicta
Câmara felt that his start with Invicta had been built through the work completed before the 2026 F2 season began. Post-season and pre-season testing gave him time to understand the team, while the first rounds helped both sides learn how to operate together during race weekends.
He also recognised that the partnership was still young. In a rookie season, every session carried value, and every weekend provided him more information about the car, the engineers, and the way the team worked under pressure.
Although the year had only just reached May, Câmara already felt how quickly a Formula 2 campaign could move. That made each race more important. He did not want to rush the process, but he also knew there was limited time to make progress and turn preparation into results.
“I think we did a good job in the post-season test and pre-season, preparing well for the season. I’m still getting more familiar with them, it’s quite early in the season, so it’s difficult to say how it will go.
“The first year is mainly about getting to know each other, how each other work, but at the same time, it’s just one year you have. We’re already in May, so it’s gone pretty quickly already.
“Working race-by-race, focussing on the next step, and preparing well for each race. It’s a long season, and everything can happen, so it’s just taking it step-by-step, learning what I can. I think we are in a good place for the rest of the season.”
Câmara using preparation to tackle new F2 circuits
The calendar also brought unfamiliar circuits, which made preparation away from the track even more important for Câmara. Simulator work helped him understand each layout, identify key corners, and arrive at practice with a clearer plan.
Câmara knew that limited track time in F2 made early preparation with Invicta especially valuable in 2026, allowing the team to approach setup with more focus and avoid wasting laps. New venues also gave him a chance to close the gap to more experienced drivers, as confidence, preparation, and quick adaptation could make a real difference.
For Câmara, the goal was not just to learn the track, but to be ready for the key sessions, with qualifying still central to building a strong weekend.
“I did a lot of sim, just getting to know the track, and making sure that when we start out in Practice, we know which direction to go in in terms of setup.
“With these tracks being new, no one’s been there, even if they have experience in F2. In general, I think that we’re all in the same position, but maybe it could help that everyone starts from the same point, that no one knows the track.
“But anyway, we’ll prepare the best way we can, trying to find the best setup for Qualifying, and be in the right place for when it matters.”
Câmara trusting race-by-race progress after strong F2 start in 2026 together with Invicta
Câmara had often adapted quickly when stepping into a new category, and that continued in F2 as he found his rhythm early and moved closer to the front. The strong start gave him confidence, but it did not change his mindset, with good points still the target and steady progress just as important. Invicta had also shown promise in the opening part of the season, and Câmara felt the team had the quality to manage difficult weekends, learn from setbacks, and keep improving as the year developed.
“Every time that I started in a new category, I have never struggled to keep the rhythm. It always starts well, and I think that also helps me to be in the fight. Even if it’s still a long way away, I think it’s something that helps you to just keep pushing.
“I would say that it’s a good strength of mine. I mean, obviously I want to be at the front, and fight for good points. But, like always, I will just focus race-by-race, working in the moment.
“As a team, we’re doing well at the moment. Whatever happens in these next races, we know that we have the strength to keep going. If there are bad races, we’ll just learn from it and come back stronger.
“If we’re in a good spot, we’ll just try to refine to it, we can do better for the next one and just keep learning through this championship, becoming stronger through the season.”
