Rafael Câmara was uncatchable in the rain around Albert Park, winning the first Feature Race of the season for TRIDENT in comfortable fashion.
The Brazilian controlled things from the front, escaping clear of the chasing pack, leading teammate Noah Stromsted in second and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Théophile Nael coming home third.
AS IT HAPPENED
After several formation laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway in the Feature Race with a rolling start, and pole sitter Câmara launched into a sizeable lead over Stromsted.
The Safety Car was called upon before the end of the first lap however, with Nikola Tsolov and Callum Voisin off the road at Turn 10.
Back to racing conditions entering Lap 6, Câmara re-established a healthy gap back to Stromsted in second.
McLaren Development Drivers Ugo Ugochukwu and Martinius Stenshorne went into battle on Lap 8 at Turn 4, the Norwegian slicing his way by the PREMA Racing for P8.
Ugochukwu lost another place on Lap 9 to Roman Bilinski after running wide at Turn 11, opening the door for the Rodin Motorsport driver to go through for ninth.
The rain intensity picked up on Lap 11, making things even trickier for the drivers as they fought through the spray, though Câmara was taking full advantage of his clear view, five seconds clear of the pack.
The Safety Car was back out on Lap 13, with DAMS Lucas Oil driver Christian Ho in the barriers at Turn 7. He was out of the car and ok, but the field was bunched back together with rain coming down heavily once again.
After several laps behind the Safety Car, the Red Flags were thrown on Lap 18 of 20, and with the weather not improving, the Feature Race was called.
Câmara capped off his impressive first F3 weekend with victory ahead of Stromsted, the team’s second consecutive Feature Race one-two going back to Monza 2024. Nael was on the podium for Van Amersfoort Racing in third, their second trip to the rostrum across the weekend.
Nikita Bedrin finished fourth for AIX Racing ahead of MP Motorsport driver Tim Tramnitz. Charlie Wurz was sixth on a great day for TRIDENT, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak of Campos Racing, Stenshorne, Bilinski and Ugochukwu completed the points.
KEY QUOTE – Rafael Câmara, TRIDENT
“P1, very happy with the result. Still a long way to go in the Championship. Now we can enjoy this a bit, but we’ll be focused on Bahrain.”
THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Câmara’s points for pole and fastest lap in the Feature Race along with his victory put him on top with 28 points to his name. VAR’s Théophile Nael follows in second on 19 points, with Stromsted third on 18. Nikita Bedrin and Martinius Stenshorne round out the top five with 17 and 14 points respectively
TRIDENT take over at the top in the Teams’ Standings with their one-two finish and Wurz in sixth to put them on 54 points. Van Amersfoort Racing are second with Nael’s podium and Santiago Ramos’ Sprint victory with 29. AIX Racing are third with 17 points, one ahead of Campos Racing in fourth and Hitech TGR in fifth, the British outfit on 14 points.
UP NEXT
FIA Formula 3 heads to Sakhir, Bahrain for an in-season test, taking place from 26-28 March before Round 2 of the campaign from 11-13 April around the Bahrain International Circuit.
Formula 3 Media | Photos: Formula 3 Media
