Rafael Câmara, F3 champion, elected FIA Rookie of the Year

In a season so prolific in terms of rookies Formula 1The FIA ​​had a wealth of options when choosing the best rookie of the year: among them Kimi Antonelli, who had stood on the podium three times with Classic Mercedes for saleOliver Bearman, 4th in Mexico and performing very well at HaasWith Gabriel Bortoleto, at ease at Sauber, and Isack Hadjar, 3rd at Zandvoort and having had a full season, there was no shortage of options.

However, none of these four young men secured the coveted spot, but rather a certain Rafael Câmara, who dazzled with his talent during the season of Formula 3After winning the FRECA title in 2024, the Brazilian moved up to the next level with rare ease: crowned champion with one round to spare in the championship, he dominated F3, breaking the record for pole positions in a season (5) and securing four victories.

With Trident, the protégé of Classic Ferrari for sale made his mark and earned his promotion in Formula 2 at Invicta. Within the team that won the last two Drivers' Championships with Gabriel Bortoleto and Leonardo Fornaroli, Câmara will be a contender to watch for the title in 2026. This would give him every chance of hoping for a Formula 1 debut by 2027, even if available seats are not plentiful.

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A bright future awaits Câmara

At Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton will reach the end of his current contract, but imagining Scuderia Ferrari directly promoting Rafael Câmara, should the Briton leave, seems utopian. It could more likely happen at Haas, if Oliver Bearman were to go to Ferrari, or if Esteban Ocon He was sailing towards other horizons. Meanwhile, Rafael Câmara is being followed with as much attention as expectation by Ferrari's management.

“With a talent like Rafa, it may seem harsh, but that’s what we expect and what we want to see, Jérôme d'Ambrosio, the Scuderia's deputy director, recently stated. Our mission is to support him as best we can so he can fully express his talent. And that's exactly what he did. Honestly, I don't think we could have hoped for better. It's impressive. Winning before the final race doesn't happen often in Formula 3; the format isn't designed for that, so it's fantastic that he managed it., added the Belgian.

With his Rookie of the Year title, Rafael Câmara has already secured a prominent place in the list of winners of this trophy, awarded to a select few. Before him, Daniil Kvyat (2014), Max Verstappen (2015), Kevin Hansen (2016), Charles Leclerc (2017 in F2, 2018 in F1), Alex Albon (2019) Yuki tsunoda (2020) Oscar piastri (2021 in F2, 2023 in F1), Zane Maloney (2022) and Gabriel Bortoleto (2024) had obtained the award.