Câmara aiming to extend F3 pole record after fast start in Practice

It was another strong opening by Rafael Câmara and TRIDENT as the Brazilian lead the pack in Free Practice in Budapest.

The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy member laid down a 1:33.888 to lead the field in the opening session, just under a tenth clear of Brad Benavides in P2 for AIX Racing.

Speaking after the session, Câmara said he’d had a positive feeling from the green light, and that he along with the team were looking good going into Qualifying.

“Already from the first lap I had a good feeling with the car. After that I was just building my session and was able to do another good lap. Then we stopped a bit to cool the tyres, and I just felt comfortable.

“It’s always good to start on a high, but there’s still a big job to do in Qualifying. It doesn’t change anything to be P1 in FP, you could still end up at the back. So I’ll just be focusing with the team to make sure we have everything in the right spot to do a good job.”

Already in Practice, finding ideal track position was difficult around the Hungaroring, with clear air vital for a clean lap around the 4.381Km layout.

The Championship leader said that he was expecting another difficult session, with drivers battling not only for the fastest time but for the best track position to give themselves a better chance of achieving it.

He added that they will be sitting down ahead of the session to come up with a plan to give themselves the best possible chance at a fifth pole position of the 2025 season.

“I think traffic will be a big point for Qualifying. We’ve seen here in the past, especially in sector three where everybody slows down, it can be a complete disaster to open your lap.

“We’re going to make sure we do the right plan to not put ourselves in that position and I’ll just focus on myself, focus on the driving and with the team to discuss before and make sure we have the right plan.”

While Free Practice took place with cars fitted with the white-marked Hard compound Pirelli tyres, drivers will run the yellow Mediums for Qualifying.

READ MORE: PRACTICE: Câmara and TRIDENT hit the ground running around the Hungaroring

The step softer compound will provide more grip according to Câmara, requiring changes to the car between Practice and Qualifying to pre-empt the switch in balance it might bring.

“The Mediums we’ll have a bit more grip and the track should be a bit better with F1 rubber down. So we’ll need to make changes on the car to be in the right spot for Qualifying.

“But we’re already at the end of the season, and have good experience, so I think we know where we’re going to go. I’ll just focus on the driving and try to get another pole.

“It’s obviously easy to say that sat here than it will be in Qualifying, but I think we’ll be in contention later on.”