The Brazilian driver from NIO333 Racing finished 8th in one of the stages in Rome
The penultimate round of the Formula E World Championship concluded on Sunday. The ancient city of Rome, capital of Italy, welcomed the drivers and teams of the main category of electric cars for the 13th and 14th stages of the calendar. Competing for NIO333 Racing, Brazilian driver Sérgio Sette Câmara had a great recovery race on Saturday and finished the race in eighth place, scoring points in the Championship once again.
The layout of the streets in Rome is the longest of the season and also one of the most challenging. Uphills, downhills, 90-degree turns, and many bumps make the track extremely demanding, leading to inevitable accidents.
Coming off difficult performances in the previous stages, Sette Câmara was excited for the race in Rome. In the two free practice sessions preceding the 13th stage, the driver of car #3 finished in 14th place, which, considering the reality of his equipment, was a good result. However, the excitement did not materialize in the qualifying session, and with problems in his car, he only managed to secure the 21st and last position on the grid.
The NIO333 Racing team worked hard to discover and solve the problem in the short time between qualifying and the race. The team’s efforts paid off, and Serginho embarked on a recovery race. After a good start, the driver gained some positions and consistently fought for recovery. However, an accident involving several cars on the ninth lap led to the race being interrupted with a red flag. When the race resumed, Sérgio was in 12th place and, encouraged, continued his journey. With daring maneuvers and avoiding accidents, the driver continued to advance in the field and, at the end of the 27 laps, crossed the finish line in eighth place, earning four more points for the Championship. Additionally, Sette Câmara was the driver who made the most progress in the race, starting from 21st and finishing in 8th, gaining 13 positions.
LUCK CHANGED ON SUNDAY
After a race worth celebrating on Saturday, Sunday’s story turned out to be different for Sérgio. In the free practice session held earlier today, the Brazilian was excited about the car’s performance and set the 10th fastest time with a mark of 1m38s196. In the qualifying session, held two hours later, Sette Câmara failed to complete a clean lap, securing only the 16th position on the starting grid, in the eighth row.
With a car that had shown speed in practice, the 25-year-old Brazilian embarked on another recovery race. Sérgio maintained a good pace and was already in 12th place with six laps completed when debris from an accident on the track got stuck under his car, preventing the brakes from functioning properly. Consequently, unable to solve the problem, Sérgio stayed on the track but without the ability to attack his opponents. To make matters worse, with two laps remaining, the Brazilian was forced to retire.
“We had a mix of emotions this weekend. After several races, I managed to score points in yesterday’s race, and above all, I was very happy to know that the drivers involved in the serious accident were all unharmed. On the other hand, today, unfortunately, I was a victim of debris left on the track after the Evans-Cassidy accident. Something got stuck under my car and prevented me from braking correctly. This started generating several safety alerts in the car, and on the penultimate lap, I was forced to retire with a high-voltage alert. I had to be removed from the car by the rescue team trained for electrical risk situations. Now I have to lift my head and move on to the final stage of the year in London, one of the coolest tracks of the season,” concluded the driver of car #3.
Pictures: NIO333 Racing | Disclosure
Press office of Sérgio Sette Câmara
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick