TRIDENT 2025 Season Review: A record-equalling third consecutive Drivers’ Title

TRIDENT joined Italian rivals PREMA Racing in winning three consecutive Drivers’ Championships this season, as Rafael Câmara followed in the footsteps of Leonardo Fornaroli and Gabriel Bortoleto in winning the title with the team.

However they narrowly missed out on a historic double, as Campos Racing dramatically beat them to the Teams’ title at the Monza finale.

For Team Manager Giacomo Ricci that leaves him a little bit frustrated going into the winter, even if he is satisfied with their performance this year.

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“I'm very pleased with what we were able to achieve this season,” recapped Ricci. “It's the third Drivers' title in a row, and this one for me is a great result, with Bortoleto, then the year after with Fornaroli and then with Câmara, it is a great achievement.

“A bit disappointed that we have not been able to win the Teams' title, but again when you come to Monza everything can happen with the tow, and with only one push lap in Qualifying.

“Things didn't turn in our direction but it is what it is, it's part of the game, although I'm still a little disappointed.”

TRIDENT and Câmara made a special start to the season, achieving Pole Position in each of the first three rounds, and winning the Feature Race at the opening two in Melbourne and Sakhir.

For Ricci, the Brazilian’s victory from pole at the first round in Australia was his personal highlight, as following the introduction of a new F3 car this year, it confirmed the excellent work his team had done in pre-season.

“In my opinion, it was the first round of the season in Australia,” said Ricci when asked about his highlight of the season.

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“When you don't have that much track time before the season because we only had the pre-season test in Barcelona. Then you go in with a new car, with all the unknowns, because also in Barcelona, we were happy, but it was looking like many other teams were competitive.

“But once we arrived in Australia, it was different, and when we hit the ground, we were dominant. This in my opinion was the biggest highlight, at least from the team side.

“When you start from scratch, from zero, and the track time is so limited, to arrive there and to be immediately strong was quite impressive.”

For this, Ricci gave major plaudits to TRIDENT’s engineers, as it was their work that saw them start the season so well.

“I mean I have to say a massive thanks to our engineers,” he continued. “They did a great job in the preparation of the new car, and since we hit the ground, the car was in the window.

“So the job that has been done was very good, and that's why we have been able to be competitive immediately.

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“To start the season in the right direction, winning the opening round with Câmara, and also being able to perform with the F3 car was a great feeling and again thanks to our engineers for this.”

All in all, TRIDENT ended the year with five wins and Pole Positions, eight fastest laps and 10 podiums, on their way to finishing second in the Teams’ Standings.

But four of those victories and all of the poles belong to Câmara, as do four of those fastest laps and half of the podiums. It saw the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospect win the title with a round to spare in Budapest, and Ricci revealed how impressed he had been by his driver.

“Rafa is a driver with very impressive talent,” said Ricci. “His natural ability to place a lap together without making a mistake is very rare in my opinion.

“As a team, our main target was to get him in a comfort zone and then he was able to perform, in any condition or situation. For me I was always impressed with his speed in Qualifying and also in the races, he was able to be complete as a driver.

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“Just taking Monza for example, he started last and finished P5, making so many overtakes, it was impressive I have to say.”

TRIDENT’s focus will now turn to 2026 where they have already announced the signing of Freddie Slater. Ricci says getting his drivers up to speed during testing as well as looking to develop their car even more is goal over the winter months.

“We will first focus on carrying on with the car development because you never stop on that side,” Ricci added. “Then we will start from zero with the drivers, so we will go back to the basics, making sure they are feeling comfortable with the team.

“We will provide them with the right instructions, and again, every year when there is a big driver change you start almost from zero and the postseason tests are extremely important because the driver needs to understand our philosophy.

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“They also need to understand how to work with the team and at the same time it will be the first time for us to start working with the new drivers.

“So it will be important for us to understand what they need and making sure they feel comfortable within the team in order for them to extract the best, from themselves and from the car.”