Rafael Câmara drops to ninth after Spielberg F2 Sprint Race penalty

Câmara penalised after Turn 3 contact

Rafael Câmara has been handed a post-race penalty following the FIA Formula 2 Sprint Race in Spielberg, dropping the Invicta Racing driver to ninth in the final classification.

The decision followed a post-race hearing in which the Stewards heard from both drivers and their team representatives. They also examined video evidence from onboard cameras and external angles before reaching their verdict.

Mitigating factors reduce the sanction

Although the Stewards found Câmara responsible for the collision, they also identified several mitigating circumstances. The incident occurred on the opening lap, at a corner where a large pack of cars was fighting for space, creating what the decision described as a concertina effect.

That context mattered. Rather than applying a harsher sanction, the Stewards opted for the lesser five-second time penalty, while still recording a breach of Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 (d) of the FIA International Sporting Code.

For Câmara, the consequence is still significant. Once the five seconds were added to his race time, he fell to ninth place in the Sprint Race classification, losing ground after initially finishing higher on the road.

Tsolov inherits final point

Câmara’s penalty reshuffles the lower end of the points-paying positions. Every driver who finished behind the Brazilian moves up one place as a result of the revised classification.

The most important beneficiary is Nikola Tsolov, who is promoted to eighth and now takes the final points position. In a category where fine margins often define weekends, the post-race decision turns a marginal gain into a tangible reward for Tsolov, while leaving Câmara to absorb the cost of a first-lap incident judged to have been his responsibility.