McLaren youngster Sergio Sette Camara says he feared his axe from Red Bull’s junior scheme would scupper any hope of returning to a Formula 1 set-up.
The Brazilian spent 2016 as a Red Bull junior but was dropped at the end of the year, following an underwhelming campaign in Formula 3, though was able to secure a Formula 2 move for 2017.
Sette Camara remained in Formula 2 last year, as team-mate to Lando Norris, and placed sixth in the standings, securing eight podium finishes.
For 2019 he has taken up a role as McLaren’s test and development driver, acting as back-up to Carlos Sainz Jr. and rookie Norris.
“I think I’ve gone through a lot since then,” Sette Camara said on how he’d changed since his Red Bull spell.
“Before, F1 would kind of impress me and maybe scare me.
“Of course it’s my goal, I see it’s racing, and there’s bigger things to it, and I don’t need to make it so big in my head.
“So of course I give a lot of energy, doesn’t mean I work less, I just don’t let it get to my head.
“When I was in Red Bull I let it get so big in my head and maybe, who knows, there was too much weight.
“This changed for sure. Yeah, I’m calmer, when you lose something like I did, you lose a Red Bull drive and you think ‘ah now my name is burned’, because that’s what you think when you’re out there, if they do eventually let you go, that no-one will get you back again.
“In my opinion, I made my steps back, my way back, and now I feel very confident that ‘look, it’s not that bad’, I don’t have so much to lose, so I think that’s the main thing. Just not being afraid, this kind of stuff.”
McLaren has yet to outline whether Sette Camara will drive its MCL34 this year.
