Hockenheim, in Germany, hosted the 10th and final round of the continental competition
The traditional Hockenheim Race Track, in Germany, hosted last weekend the final round of the European Championship of F3. The main competition of motor sport on the planet gathered 24 pilots on the grid of the races valid for the 28, 29 and 30 rounds of this season.
The Brazilian pilot Sérgio Sette Câmara (Red Bull | Petrobras | Cemig | Mercantil do Brasil), member of the Red Bull Junior Team, arrived in Germany willing to end the year on a fairly positive way, with significant results in three races of the round.
However, his plans were put in place on a bit differently way. The programming began on Friday with the free practice sessions. The Motopark team had a car’s hit far from ideal and this eventually left Serginho away from the first places in the practice sessions. The team continued a little lost in the settlings and all its cars had a pretty bad performance in the first taking of times when Sette Câmara, with 1m32s444, ensured only the 14th position on a grid of 22 pilots. Hours after the second qualifying session was held, for the formation of the starting grid races, two and three and this time, on the basis of accurate information from Serginho, the team managed to greatly improve the performance of car # 9. As a result, when achieving the time of 1m32s041, the Brazilian pilot assured the fourth place of the starting grid for the second race and 1m32s181, assuring him the sixth place for race three.
In the first race, after an excellent start, Serginho succeeded in imposing a very good pace. With precise maneuvers and determination he literally climbed the platoon. On a track with few overtaking points, the Belo Horizonte pilot abused the boldness, drove as in the times of karting and won no fewer than nine positions and, at the end of 23 laps, he receive the checkered flag arriving in fifth place.
Excited, yet on Saturday, he followed to the second race of the round. Starting from the second row he made a sensational start, jumped to third place and, after four laps, he already was in the second place, driving faster than the leader. However, the race director detected Serginho making a false start, forcing him to drive through the pit area as a punishment. Without understanding the reason for this, the Brazilian pilot fulfilled the punishment, returned to the race, but, away from the main pletoon, he received the checkered flag only in 14th place.
The last and decisive race happened on Sunday morning. Serginho, starting on the sixth position, no longer had the same setting the car. With the rear tires too worn, the pilot did his most to stay competitive. In a defensive race, he was attacked during the entire time, gained a few positions in the early laps, reaching the fourth position, but in the following laps he was overcome and wit attitude he finished the race in the sixth place.
“It was a very atypical weekend here in Hockenheim. Our car really started, with problems. But, along with the engineers, we improved at every entry to the track, improving the performance. I got a car very close to the ideal for the second taking of times. The first race was perfect. The car was really good and I got enough action to overtake some pilots. It was pretty cool. In the second race, I couldn’t understand the punishment. I and my team looked several times the video, we complained with the director, but unfortunately the electronic sensors detected that the car moved. It was very sad. I had a chance to fight for victory. In the last race, my car had the rear tires too worn and, as a result, I fought and finished in the sixth place was really good under those the conditions”, commented the 18-year-old pilot.
This was the last round of the European Championship of F3. After 30 rounds, Sérgio Sette Câmara ended the season with 117 points and on the 11th position.