Câmara says he is gaining ‘confidence’ with each lap after strong opening day in Barcelona

Rafael Câmara was delighted by his and Trident’s opening day of post-season testing in Barcelona, where he wound up as the fastest rookie across both sessions.
The Brazilian driver impressed throughout, completing a lap of 1:28.116 to finish fourth in the morning and returned in the afternoon to end up P2 with a time of 1:28.891.
Speaking after debriefing with the team, Câmara reflected on a positive day of running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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“I think it was a good day overall,” said Câmara. “We are making some good progress but it’s good to start with some good pace. I think every lap, every run we do I am getting more used to the car, improving my driving, and also getting used to the new team.
“So, I’m happy with the result today but we need to keep working like we are, keep working to improve and make sure we are prepared for next year.”
This was Câmara’s third day of driving Formula 3 machinery having taken part at the first post-season test in Jerez last week.
He did not finish in the top 10 in any of the four sessions in that test, but did accumulate 112 laps across the two days. With 51 tours completed today in Barcelona, he feels he is getting better each time he steps in the car.
“It feels very nice in the car,” he revealed. “It’s a bit more speed than I am used to from before, so that’s nice, but like I said every time I get in the car, I just feel better.
“I get a bit more confidence, and knowing a bit more about the car and everything you can do with it, I’m learning and enjoying it as well so it’s been very nice.”
READ MORE: Tsolov sweeps opening day of running in Barcelona test
Câmara, like the rest of the drivers taking part in the Barcelona, have one more day of testing left, and the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospect is keen to make the most of his time in the car ahead of the 2025 campaign.
“I think for tomorrow we just need to keep doing more of what we did today, the same approach, just trying to learn as much as we can,” continued Câmara.
“We don’t have a lot of tests before the season so for me it’s very important to be focused on the things we can learn and maximise every single lap so that when it comes, we can extract the best. So, rest for the remainder of the day, come back tomorrow and try to do the same job.”