Câmara: ‘Hard work must continue’ after topping in-season testing with TRIDENT

Rafael Câmara picked up from where he left off in Melbourne, finishing the in-season Sakhir test on top in P1 for TRIDENT.

The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent set a 1:48.252 in the morning segment of the final day, claiming the fastest time of the week, before going on to sweep day three by finishing first in the afternoon also.

After stepping out of the car, the Brazilian said that it had been a very positive few days in Bahrain, as he and the team aimed to keep their momentum up from Round 1.

READ MORE: TRIDENT’s Rafael Câmara sweeps the final day of the in-season test in Sakhir

“I think it was a very productive few days. We got a lot of information with the tests we’ve been doing. For the team, it’s been very good. It’s always nice to be P1 but now it doesn’t mean a lot. We still have our heads down, focusing on working how we’ve been working since the beginning of the season.

“We just have to keep focused on doing our jobs, and if we can keep doing those same things, we can arrive strong for the next round in two weeks.

“I think it’s good to keep up the momentum. For myself, I feel quite confident at the end of this test. We just have to keep it going.”

While Câmara ended up with the fastest time of the test, long runs were as much a focus as qualifying speed, and he was satisfied with what he’d achieved across the three days.

For what was his first visit to the Bahrain International Circuit and in the new F3 car, the TRIDENT driver says that after a tricky start, he and the team found their way on race pace.

“I think in Bahrain, on the long run especially, it’s quite tough because you have massive degradation. So you need to take care of the tyres. For me, it was my first long run here, so the first run was quite shocking because the drop off with the tyres was big.

“I’m just very grateful for what they have been able to do"

“But at the end, I think after a while we began to understand quite a lot about what we needed to do, and from then on, it was quite nice.”

Currently leading the Championship with 28 points courtesy of Melbourne Pole and Feature Race victory, Câmara also paid tribute to the team’s efforts away from the track, noting how their pre-season preparation has laid a strong foundation for 2025.

Along with teammates Noah Stromsted and Charlie Wurz, TRIDENT have established an early lead in the Teams’ Standings, a result of their extensive work from day one according to Câmara.

“I’m quite happy, the team is happy too. They’ve done an amazing job to prepare the car right from the start. With how we started in Melbourne – of course the driver needs to be good, but if you don’t have a good car and a good team behind you, then it’s very rare that you can be up there fighting at the front.

“I’m just very grateful for what they have been able to do. I think the jobs that myself, Noah and Charlie have done over the winter as well has provided the team with good feedback and helped them go in the right direction, and that’s quite important as well.

“Now we’re just focused for the races in Bahrain and on the Championship. It was a good start in Melbourne, but there’s still a very long way to go, so we’ll keep our heads down.”

After testing, drivers and teams return to their workshops to put the final preparation into practice, and that is no different for the Championship leader.

Câmara says he’ll be undertaking plenty of simulator work ahead of a return to Sakhir with both TRIDENT and Ferrari as he aims to carry on his impressive opening effort into Round 2.

“I’ll do quite a lot of sim work with Trident, also SFDA, that helps me prepare quite a lot for each race weekend mentally as well as on the sim. I’ll also relax a bit at home, recharge and I’ll come back as prepared as possible for the race.”