Rafael Câmara believes he and Invicta Racing showed strong potential during a challenging 2026 Formula 2 weekend in Spielberg, despite missing out on a podium in Sunday’s Feature Race.
The Brazilian finished fourth after an intense fight with championship rival Alexander Dunne. Although Câmara felt the battle may have cost him a top-three result, he still collected valuable points and left Austria encouraged by the team’s pace.
Câmara reflects on difficult Feature Race and Dunne battle at Formula 2 Spielberg weekend
Câmara did not make the start he had hoped for, although he initially managed to regain a position from Oliver Goethe. However, an issue at Turn 6 dropped him back behind the MP Motorsport driver and complicated his strategy.
“Definitely not an easy race. My start wasn’t the best, I was still able to get back by Goethe, but then at T6 I got a bit stuck, and I ended up back behind him.”
“That made the strategy difficult. It would have been better to stay in front of him, but it was still good. In the end it was quite intense with Dunne, probably a bit too much of a battle. I think we’ll take that as good points for the Championship, and we’ll move forward.”
Câmara and Dunne fought closely during the race, with the Invicta driver eventually finishing ahead of his title rival. However, the time and tyre performance lost during their battle left Câmara vulnerable in the closing stages.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak rapidly closed the gap after switching to the Supersoft tyres for the final part of the race, forcing Câmara to defend fourth place on the last lap.
Fourth place represents a missed opportunity and a valuable result
Despite coming under pressure from Inthraphuvasak, Câmara held on to fourth and admitted he felt relieved to keep the ART Grand Prix driver behind.
“I thought it was going to be very tough to keep him behind on the last lap. So I was quite pleased that we were able to get that P4.”
While Câmara ultimately maximised the result available to him, he believes the prolonged fight with Dunne prevented him from challenging for a place on the podium.
“Things could have been a bit different without that battle with Alex. Maybe we could have been on the podium. But we’ll take it. I mean, in a way we maximised the result, because I think I was taking a lot of risks with Alex. But for sure we have the potential to be up there. I think we’ve been strong this weekend.”
Câmara also identified his qualifying mistake as one of the factors that made his weekend more difficult. Starting further down the order forced him to spend more time fighting through the field rather than competing at the front.
“In quali, I also made a slight mistake, ended up slightly behind where we should have been on the grid, and once you’re behind, you need to fight a bit more.”
Nevertheless, the Invicta driver remained encouraged by the team’s overall performance and expects to arrive at Silverstone in an even stronger position.
“So, overall, I think it was a good weekend with a lot of positives. We’ll go to Silverstone with better pace, I’m sure.”
Câmara confident ahead of Silverstone and championship fight
Formula 2 will now travel to Silverstone after the 2026 round at Spielberg, for the second part of the double-header and Invicta Racing’s home event.
Câmara first competed at the British circuit during the 2025 Formula 3 season. Despite his limited experience at the venue, he enjoyed the track and feels positive about returning in Formula 2 machinery.
“I feel very positive for the race weekend. Last year was my first time there and it was a track that I enjoyed, so I’m looking forward to being there again.”
The Spielberg result also kept Câmara firmly involved in the championship contest. He believes the number of races and points still available means the title fight remains open.
“There’s a lot of races to go. We’re still in the fight, a lot of things can happen. A lot of races, a lot of points still to be won. So, I think we’re in a good position.”
Rather than concentrating on his rivals, Câmara plans to focus on his own performance and work with Invicta to maximise every opportunity during the remainder of the campaign.
“We will focus on ourselves, but for sure we’re going to be confident we can be there fighting every race weekend. I have a good team behind me, so I’m really confident we can do a good job. I’ll just focus on the job, maximise everything, and hopefully have another solid weekend.”
