After victory slipped through his fingers in Monaco, Invicta Racing’s Rafael Câmara claimed his maiden F2 win in the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Feature Race, converting pole position into a well-executed and driven victory.
Leaving Barcelona with two points-scoring finishes, Câmara added valuable points to his championship tally after losing ground over the previous two weekends. Following his victory, the Brazilian spoke in the Feature press conference attended by Pit Debrief, reflecting on his race.
“Yeah, I think the start was, we missed a bit, obviously losing the position, going into P2 was not an idea but obviously just keep it cool.”, he said. “In a way it was good that I was able to stay in the DRS zone and not really using the tyres. So once Alex [Dunne] pitted, I was able to extend quite a lot and in a good pace as well. So it was good to stay seven laps behind saving the tyres, and after that was also just trying to extend as much as we could to avoid the traffic.”
“And yeah, doing that very well after the pit stop was not great, maybe could be a bit better as well, and then honestly, when I saw that was quite far, I was a bit thinking that we were going to make it or not. But yeah, pace was looking very strong, and we were able to lap by lap get the lead, and then after that was just being manageable, managing the tyres.”
“A lot of positives” from Monaco and Barcelona
Having lost valuable points in Montreal due to costly mistakes that resulted in penalties and then an overly conservative approach in Monaco that cost him victory, Câmara admitted his errors but acknowledged that the team’s competitiveness and pace have remained strong since the start of the season.
“I think since the beginning of the season things have been very good, obviously the last two races were not in our way. Montreal, I think made a bit of a stupid mistake on my side, Monaco in a way, I was just taking a bit more margin in the outlap, and obviously trying to fight with Niko [Tsolov] was too late, so two mistakes from my side that obviously could be easily avoided.”
Despite the disappointments of the past two rounds, Câmara believes that there are still positives to take away from them. With a win now under his belt, the Brazilian noted that the team must stay focused and continue working in the same way to keep delivering strong results.
“But yeah, I think it was a lot of positives in these two weekends as well, even the other races were looking very strong, so I think since the beginning of the season I’ve been quite confident that we have a good pace and we have a good chance to be there in the fight.”
“So I think we just need to keep working the same way, head down, working hard and we know how high level is the championship, so we keep going and doing our things and hopefully we can be there in the fight.”
Câmara on extending his soft tyre stint and pace
Having extended his stint on the soft tyres to 22 laps—longer than any other driver in the field—he explained that although he felt they had the pace, he had to hold back to manage his tyres to extend his stint.
“Yeah, it was looking good on the softs already, driving behind Alex [Dunne]. I felt like I had quite a lot of pace and it was just holding a bit.”, he explained. “We were speaking a bit before, I mean speaking yesterday and also today before the race about extending as much as we could with the soft and I think we managed to do that very well. After when we did the pit stop, I felt a bit too far from Alex, but yeah, the pace, the car was feeling very good today.”
He said that the key was staying focused in the moment and maximising what they had and highlighted their strong pace throughout the weekend. Câmara added that, despite mistakes in recent rounds, he was pleased to claim his first win of the season.
“So it’s just really focusing [in] the moment, doing the right things and maximise what we could today. I think it showed that we were very strong today. Like I said, I think today it was in a way, the car was very good. It was almost perfect and yeah, it was good to have a weekend like that after Monaco.”
“I mean, after the two rounds, it felt that basically if I was not doing the mistakes, was being always on the podium in the feature race. So yeah, good to be back on the podium. First win also of the season, so we keep working and hopefully it will be a good season.”
Celebrates victory but remains focused on the season ahead
With nine rounds remaining in the season and his victory coming in just the fifth round, Câmara reflected on finally securing that long-awaited win, saying: “Yeah, it was very nice to get the first win. It was a big timing that was close and we were never really able to close it. But obviously very happy with that and finally able to achieve that. It feels very good.”
While the win is a strong indication of their pace throughout the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Câmara said it does not change much, as he remains focused on the long season ahead and continuing to develop.
“In terms of confidence, I think it doesn’t really change that much. I think it was a lot of positive the other race weekends and we came here also with a lot of confidence. And we showed, I think, that we had a good pace the whole weekend. So yeah, I think just focusing on the job and keep growing through the season.”
Câmara surprised by going long on the soft tyres
“Yeah, it was quite a surprising thing, going so long with the soft.”, he said. “At one point I thought that maybe we could do soft, soft, but it’s not really allowed. But yeah, it was feeling good in the clean air as well. I was able to manage very well the tyres.”
“And like I said before, changes for the heat, I was a bit not really sure if we’re going to make it. That’s because it was quite far and I was a bit scared to lose a bit of time doing the overtakes. But in the end, we managed to do things very well, execute things in a good way and finish in a good place.”
Top three finishers split by different strategies
When asked about the team’s strategical choice, having started on pole, starting on the soft tyres was the right choice for Câmara to protect track position, while he also acknowledged that Nikola Tsolov’s alternative strategy approach looked strong. Câmara added that, ultimately, the result spoke for itself, making it difficult to argue against their strategy after taking the win.
“Yeah, I think it was pretty clear going the softs, especially starting from P1. You don’t want to lose that track position. There’s always an advantage going cleaner. But yeah, I think also what Niko [Tsolov] did was quite good. Obviously, I didn’t saw the whole race, but it looks like it was a good strategy. Probably, but yeah, I can’t say no today that it was not a good strategy because we won.”
However, he added: “But I think this is very close, both strategies. But probably, maybe we started a bit more behind. And then by people having the option in front of you, you’re always also alone in a way. So you have some clean air and you get that advantage. You’re not in traffic.”
“And I think what happened also to Niko. So yeah, I think both can work, like you said, a bit of 50-50. But for sure, starting from P1, it gives a bit more flexibility and a bit easier as well.”
Fighting with Tsolov for a title once again
Having been championship rivals in Formula 3 last year, Câmara and Tsolov find themselves in the same situation once again. When asked by Pit Debrief about how racing each other has elevated their performances, he joked: “Yeah, I agree with Nikola. It’s very nice. Relationship is too close.”
“But yeah, it’s been good, the last year also. We had good respect always when we fight on track. Of course, you always go on the limit, but there’s been always the respect there. And I think that as a driver, you appreciate that as well.”
“It’s good to see also this year both were able to adapt very quick to the car and being up there fighting from race one basically. And yeah, hopefully we can have some good battles on track. A lot of fun. And yeah, another good year together.”
Sitting third in the Drivers’ Standings, the Brazilian heads into the next round in a strong position. Heading to Austria, he will look to close an 11 point deficit to Tsolov in second and Gabriele Minì in first, who sits 17 points ahead.
