Rafael Camara delivered an impressive third-place result during a ‘tough’ inaugural Miami Formula 2 feature race.
The Invicta driver qualified on the front row, in just his second race in the series. Coming into the weekend second in the championship, narrowly behind his Formula 3 rival last season, the lead was in his sights. However, that task was not as easy as it sounded. With heavy rain hitting the circuit before the start and continued intense weather conditions, the rookie driver had his work cut out for him.
Despite leading the race during a dramatic contest, the final stages saw Câmara settle for third after falling away from the top two.
Reflecting on the race afterwards, Câmara admitted the conditions made the race extremely challenging from the very beginning.
“It was a tough race,” Camara told the media, including Motorsport Week.
“Definitely not easy already at the start. We didn’t manage to get a very good start.
As the race unfolded, drivers battled not only each other but also the unpredictable grip levels across the circuit. Camara quickly realised tyre management would be critical to surviving the race distance.
I think the second stint we started quite well. We knew what it was, this overheating thing. But I think also on the first stint I was trying to just understand how the tyres were behaving, to manage them in a better way for the second stint.”
Camara on leading his first wet weather F2 race
The reigning F3 champion managed to avoid early chaos, in turn finding himself fighting against his much more experienced rivals for the race lead. As incidents and Safety Car periods repeatedly reshuffled the order, the Brazilian soon emerged as the net race leader during the pit stop phase. Placing the rookie in control of the pack for the final 20 minutes.
However, the circuit’s unpredictability took a toll on Camara in the final five minutes. A moment off track allowed Dino Beganovic and Gabriele Mini to slip ahead, forcing the Ferrari-backed driver into a defensive battle to hold onto a podium position in the closing stages.
Camara maintains that tyre overheating made his life difficult in the closing stages of the race. Particularly after the final Safety Car restart, which left the battle for the lead with the top five cars, drivers were forced to push harder and take more out of their tyres.
The combination of tyre overheating and the pressure of repeated Safety Car restarts ultimately cost the Ferrari-backed driver a maiden F2 victory.
“But yeah, I just think I pushed too much there on the second stint,” Camara admitted.
“Especially the last safety car. And then I just overheated, especially the rears. I couldn’t recover really, and then after that. I was trying to keep the position and be on the podium.”
Staying ‘open-minded’ was key to success in Miami
Despite narrowly missing out on victory, Rafael Camara remained positive about the outcome of the race. With grip levels changing constantly and multiple Safety Car restarts disrupting any rhythm, adapting quickly became one of the most important skills throughout the race.
“I think that was the max we could have done today,” Camara said.
“Also, the fights were very intense. I didn’t want to really crash, but it was not very easy to be out there on the track.”
The Invicta driver highlighted that the key to his success over the weekend was staying ‘open-minded’, adjusting his approach based on what the circuit demanded each lap.
“I think just being quite open-minded to try everything and learn every lap what you can do better for the next one,” Camara highlighted.
“Obviously, just look at the cars around what they’re doing and in every lap being able to do something different, or what do you need at the moment.
So yeah, i just think you need to be very open-minded.”
Looking ahead to Montreal
Formula 2’s final stop on its inaugural North American leg of the championship is the Canadian Grand Prix. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, which is yet another new addition to the F2 calendar, should once again provide an even playing field for all drivers.
When asked about the upcoming round, Câmara emphasised that the lessons learned in Miami will be crucial for Invicta to arrive in Montreal more ‘prepared.’
“We will just look at the things we experienced this weekend and what we can improve for the next one,” Camara explained.
“Obviously, it’s a very different track, so it will be a bit like Miami before we came here, we don’t really know what will happen until we start free practice.”
Despite the awful conditions of Sunday’s race, the Brazilian saw the positives. Citing the Miami weekend as an extremely valuable experience early in the season.
“In a way this was a good weekend because we experienced every condition.
So we can definitely take some good points to learn for the next one and arrive more prepared in Montreal.”
Camara currently sits third in the championship, on equal points with Mini, and a point away from Tsolov out front. The championship battle will intensify when the series returns in Montreal at the end of May.
READ MORE: Gabriele Mini snatches maiden F2 victory in chaotic wet-dry Miami Feature
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