"Never experienced anything so unprofessional" - Sergio Sette Camara speaks plainly about Kiro sacking

Sergio Sette Camara drove four full seasons in Formula E. He made his debut for the then Dragon Penske team in the Gen2 era. Two years ago, he finally switched to the Nio team, which was first renamed ERT and competes as Cupra Kiro in season 11 - albeit without Sette Camara. He had to make way for David Beckmann shortly before the start of the season and vented his frustration in an interview.

The really big successes were never within realistic reach for Sette Camara in Formula E. In none of his four seasons did he drive in a competitive car. A fifth place in India in 2023 marked his best result with Nio. The Brazilian scored 25 points for the team and often showed flashes of his potential, especially in qualifying.

He was always on an equal footing with team-mate Dan Ticktum, so it seemed certain for a long time that the pairing would continue after the name change. But Kiro tested in Madrid with David Beckmann at Ticktum's side. The team only parted ways with Sette Camara after testing.

Sette Camara: "They kept putting it off"

"The idea was always that we would switch to the Porsche powertrains, but the line-up would remain the same, Sette Camara told Autosport. For him, Kiro was the only chance to stay in Formula E full-time, but he no longer had confidence in the team: "I was not interested in continuing with this structure in ERT. I was only interested in getting a better powertrain because I was tired of driving an uncompetitive car."

According to him, Porsche had pushed that the second seat would be filled with a Porsche driver - Beckmann is a development driver for the Swabians. Porsche denies this, as does Kiro team principal Alex Hui. Although Kiro fielded Beckmann at the pre-season test in Madrid, Sette Camara was still hoping for the seat. "Just look at how long they waited to announce all this. And I didn't like the way it was handled at all."

Just before the season opener in Brazil, Cupra Kiro finally released official information: Sergio Sette Camara had to leave the team. He complained above all about the lack of respect shown to him. The timing of the announcement was "very late", he says. "They kept delaying it. That was very frustrating. I have never experienced such an unprofessional approach in my entire career."

Restart as a Nissan reserve driver - with a stint in Berlin?

Sette Camara quickly found a new position at Nissan - not as a full-time driver, but as a reserve driver for the eleventh season. He will therefore be available to the Nissan works team as well as McLaren in the event of a full-time driver missing an E-Prix. A race outing could come sooner for him than many would have expected.

Nissan regular Norman Nato will most likely have to miss the double-header in Berlin in July because he has to take part in the WEC race in Interlagos with Cadillac. Sette Camara would therefore potentially have two chances to prove himself in a fast car. Whether he can regain a foothold in Formula E remains to be seen. Considering his potential, he deserves it.

Sette Camara does not want to be forgotten and is therefore also looking elsewhere: "I think it's super important to keep driving. A driver who doesn't drive becomes superfluous for people." For the time being, he is keeping all doors open. The contract with Nissan does not stand in his way: "Of course, my contract allows me to drive with other brands and in other series if necessary, so I am pretty sure I will drive something."