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Rafael Câmara
Brazilian racing driver (born 2005) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Rafael Chaves "Rafa" Câmara (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁafaˈɛw ˈkɐmaɾɐ]; born 5 May 2005) is a Brazilian racing driver who competes in the FIA Formula 3 Championship for Trident as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Born and raised in Pernambuco, Câmara began competitive kart racing aged six, winning several continental titles before graduating to junior formulae in 2022. He debuted in Formula 4 with Prema, finishing runner-up to Charlie Wurz in the UAE Championship and third in both the Italian and ADAC Championships. He progressed to Formula Regional in 2023, where he claimed third in the Middle East and multiple victories in the European Championship, which he won the following season with Prema. Upon his graduation to FIA Formula 3, he won the championship in his rookie season with Trident.
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Racing career
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Karting (2011–2021)
Câmara began karting in 2011, where he competed in the Pernambuco's State Championship. He would soon move into international competitions, after winning titles in all national and regional championships that he participated, garnering particular success in 2019 by finishing second in the Karting World Championship, driving in the OK Junior class for Forza Racing.[1] Having finished fifth in the European Championship during his first year of senior karting, Câmara would close his karting career in 2021 by winning a number of series, such as the WSK Champions Cup and WSK Super Master Series, as well as taking vice-champion status in the European Championship.[2][3][4]
Formula 4 (2022)
F4 UAE
In 2022, Câmara made his single-seater debut, competing in the F4 UAE Championship with Prema Racing to prepare for his main campaigns in Europe.[5] Having missed the opening round due to contracting COVID-19, Câmara scored his first podium at round two in Dubai,[6] before achieving his first pair of car racing victories at the same venue the following weekend.[7] The penultimate event of the campaign brought even more success, as the Brazilian won three of the four races, putting himself in title contention before the season finale.[8] Despite winning Race 1 at Yas Marina, a collision in the third race forced his retirement from the race and clinched the title for teammate Charlie Wurz. Câmara ended up second in the standings and first in the rookie championship with 6 wins.[9]
ADAC F4
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Remaining with Prema, Câmara competed in ADAC F4, partnering Wurz, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Conrad Laursen and fellow FDA member James Wharton.[10][11][12] The season started out strongly, as two-second places and a victory in Race 3 at Spa-Francorchamps gave Câmara the championship lead.[13][14] Victory eluded him in the next two rounds, although the Brazilian was able to cement his place as the closest challenger to title favourite Antonelli, with a pair of podiums at Hockenheim and Zandvoort respectively.[15][16][17] His championship challenge was thwarted before the next round at the Nürburgring however, as another contraction of COVID-19 forced Câmara to miss the event. He finished off his campaign with two pole positions and podiums at the second Nürburgring round, which earned Câmara the rookie title and third overall in the standings.[18][19]
Italian F4
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In tandem with his ADAC F4 campaign, Câmara also competed in Italian F4 with Prema Racing. He experienced a competitive start to his campaign, inheriting victory at the season opener in Imola when race leader Antonelli experienced a gearbox failure in the closing laps.[20] Another victory followed at Misano, where the Brazilian proved his opportunism by overtaking his Italian teammate at the safety car restart,[21] which was then followed by another impressive weekend at Spa, where, having stalled from pole position in Race 3, Câmara recovered to third by the checkered flag.[22] More podiums came at Vallelunga and the Red Bull Ring, before Câmara experienced his first and only podium-lacking event of the year at Monza. He finished his season third in the championship, falling behind Alex Dunne at the final round after a collision with the Irishman at the first corner.[23]
Formula Regional (2023–2024)
2023: Maiden victories
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During pre-season, Câmara did a full season in the 2023 Formula Regional Middle East Championship with Mumbai Falcons.[24] Despite not winning a race, Câmara claimed six podiums that took him to third in the standings.[25]
Having tested with the team at the end of 2022, Câmara progressed to the Formula Regional European Championship with Prema Racing the following year, driving alongside F4 teammate Antonelli and category veteran Lorenzo Fluxá.[26] He took his maiden win in the series during the first race at Spa-Francorchamps.[27] With a second win at Red Bull Ring and three additional podiums, he finished fifth in the standings.[25]
2024: Record-breaking first junior championship
Câmara remained with Prema Racing for the 2024 FRECA season.[28] He began the season with a fairly large lead, equalling his podiums from the previous season and claiming four wins in the first three rounds.[29] Though going winless for the next two rounds, he cemented himself as a championship favourite with a win from pole at the first race at Paul Ricard and a lead of 50 points from second place, fellow Ferrari junior Tuukka Taponen.[30] After the summer break, Câmara won another race at Imola before a pointless weekend at the Red Bull Ring. Despite the slight setback, he clinched the title in Barcelona with one round remaining after a podium and a 4th place. One final win at Monza resulted in a total of 7 wins, the most wins in a single FRECA season. He scored points in every round except for one, never qualified outside the top four and had a 75-point lead over second place, James Wharton.[31][32]
Additionally, Câmara competed in the 2024 FRME season, remaining with Mumbai Falcons.[33] He finished third in the championship with two wins.[34]
FIA Formula 3 (2025)
Câmara was promoted to Formula 3 for 2025 with Trident, alongside Charlie Wurz and FRECA rival Noah Strømsted.[35] He qualified on pole and won the feature races in both Melbourne and Bahrain.[36] In Imola, he took his third consecutive pole position, the first driver to do so since Logan Sargeant in 2020.[37] However, his feature race win streak came to an end, and he had to settle for third behind Santiago Ramos and teammate Strømsted.[38] He claimed his fourth pole position in Barcelona, the first driver to accomplish this feat in the series and converted it successfully to his third feature race win having led every lap.[39][40]
He clinched the championship at the second last round after finishing P1 in the feature race in Hungaroring.[41] He is the first driver able to do so in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
Formula One
Câmara joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022 alongside Oliver Bearman after competing in the FDA World Scouting Finals.[42][43]
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Karting record
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Karting career summary
Complete CIK-FIA Karting European Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
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Racing record
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Racing career summary
* Season still in progress.
Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete ADAC Formula 4 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Italian F4 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula Regional Middle East Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† – Driver did not finish the race but was classified, as he completed more than 90% of the race distance.
Complete Formula Regional European Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
* Season still in progress.
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References
External links
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