Pedro Oliveira Interview

In Conversation with Team Brazil’s Pedro Oliveira

Pedro Oliveira fell in love with motorsport when his Dad took him karting for his birthday. From there on out, he’s been racing as much as he can to make his way up the motorsport ladder – not even letting the severe injury of broken legs getting in his way for too long.

Part of the Team Brazil story in 2025, we talked about how they’ve been instrumental in his junior racing career, what it’s been like to make the transition from karting to radicals, the opportunity to test a Formula 3 car and much more.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

What first got you interested in motorsport?

My whole life I’ve always been interested in cars and motorsports in general. This interest came from watching Formula 1, going to car shows, and drag racing events such as the ones held in Santa Pod Raceway. Due to this interest, for my birthday, my Dad took me karting for the first time at M4 Karting, where I quickly gained an addiction for speed and adrenaline.

After this, I became a regular at M4 Karting and quickly progressed my confidence and lap times, eventually winning my first ever race there. Ever since that moment, I’ve continued developing my skills as a driver throughout the years, which is what has gotten me to where I am today, racing in the Radical UK cup in the 750 MC championship.

You started out in karting – do you have a favourite memory from this time?

My favourite memory from karting came in December 202 when I competed in the Brazilian Karting Championship. In Brazil, the Karting Championship is structured differently compared to the championship in the UK. In the UK there are multiple rounds throughout the year where competitors will score points, and the overall top point scorer will win the championship Whereas in Brazil, due to the size of the country, this would not be possible as distances from one track to the other are too large, making this concept infeasible. To counter this, the Brazilian karting champion is decided by one race, meaning if you win this race you become the champion.

So race day came and the first event was Qualifying. Although I didn’t manage to find much track space, I still managed to qualify 13th, which although I do believe I could have done better, was still a solid result. This then meant I was starting all 3 heats in 13th position. Heat 1 then came and filled me with confidence. I charged my way to the front, making some nice moves around the outside and some divebombs up the inside. I finished my first heat in 2nd place. This then set the standard for the rest of the races. I then went on to heat 2 and 3 where I managed to make my way up to 4th and 7th. This then gave me enough points to start the Final in 3rd, a very strong set of heats for my first major karting event.

The Final then came and starting in 3rd, I managed to hold the position, while simultaneously attempting to make some moves for the lead. I then crossed the finish line in 3rd place after a long and tiring 25 minute race to conclude my Brazilian Championship, a result I was very proud of considering I had to learn a new track, a new kart, and how to manage the tyres in a country with a completely different climate to what I’m used to.

How important has karting been for you in developing your racecraft?

I believe karting is at the heart of all motorsports and is where anyone who wants to get into racing should start. For me, karting has been very important in developing my skills and racecraft, as it’s where I learned skills such as adaptability, defending, attacking and mental resilience. Most skills learnt in karting can almost always be transferred onto different classes. For example, for me, it included transferring from Karting to Radicals. Karting also provides very close and equal racing, and the experience I gained from karting heavily impacted the way I handle my races now, both physically and mentally.

You switched things up in 2024 by switching to Radicals – tell me about this.

At the end of the 2023 Season, I decided it was time to take the next step in my motorsports career, which is when I started exploring opportunities to race in cars from karting. Originally we started exploring opportunities in classes like Formula Ford, even having a test day with Swift Cooper, a Formula Ford team. But then we came across the Radical 750 MC Championship. After having done a test day with Mitell, a team which used a prototype car in the Radical Cup, we decided that competing in this championship would be better suited. I then competed in 2 rounds of the championship in 2024.

Then 2025 came and due to some regulation changes in the championship, prototype cars were no longer allowed to be used, and the championship became Radical Based. That’s when we were given the opportunity to race in 3x Championship winner Leon Morrel’s car from 2024 as he was moving from class B to class A. I have been racing that car this year and it is going well so far, achieving 4th overall and 2nd in class after my first round, with a similar result in round 2, putting me 2nd in the championship with 4 rounds left to go.

What was your highlight from last year?

As mentioned, last year I did a few rounds in the 750 MC Championship in the Mitell prototype car, with my highlight being at Brands Hatch. In my first year ever racing in a car, having to progress my skills in car racing and learning the track as I go, I managed to win that round at Brands Hatch. This particular race is memorable to me as I had qualified 2nd, and in the early stages of the race I managed to make a move down the inside at Paddock Hill Bend for lead, I then proceeded to build a gap to 2nd place of almost 20 seconds. With 5 minutes left of the race I started having issues with my gears, those being that I couldn’t change gear and I was Stuck in 5th (Much like Senna in the ‘91 Brazilian GP).

As the race went on I could gradually see 2nd place getting closer lap by lap. Thankfully I still managed to win the race with 2nd place finishing just 2 seconds behind me, bringing home my first win in this championship. I believe this particular race helped me develop many skills, some being how to handle the car with a mechanical failure, but mostly keeping my composure while opponents are fast approaching.

When did you come across Team Brazil and what has that relationship been like?

I came across Team Brazil in the beginning of 2024 when I was doing my search for what class of cars I would progress into from karting. Ever since I met them the relationship has been great and I’ve even taken up some work and responsibilities at Castle Coombe Racetrack, where they are based. Through this, I was then given the opportunity to race in the SRK championship (Karting), an opportunity which I happily accepted, and completed the first few rounds of the championship, putting me in 14th out of 60, with 6 rounds left to go.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to face so far and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I’ve had to face so far in my motorsports career was back in 2020 where I had a nasty accident in karting, breaking both my legs at Clay Pigeon Kart Track, which put me out of racing for over a year. Although it was a big step in the wrong direction, I got back into a kart seat as soon as I possibly could and I’ve never looked back!

Tell me about the opportunity you got to test an F3 car in Brazil back in 2023.

In 2023 I had the amazing opportunity to test drive an old F3 car at Autódromo Velo Città in Brazil, this was the first time I had ever driven a race car and the first time I had driven on a full sized track. Going from karting straight into an F3 car was a difficult but amazing experience and I hope I have the opportunity to do something similar in the near future.

What do you do for fun away from racing?

I like going to car meets around the UK as I’m into modified cars, seeing how creative people are with their cars and seeing how much effort goes into it really interests me.

Would you rather fight 100 duck sized horses or a horse sized duck?

Considering the potential for harm and the likelihood of success, I think trying to fight 100 duck sized horses presents a more significant challenge. The number of duck sized horses could overwhelm you, making it difficult to effectively defend yourself and increasing the chance of injury. On the other hand, one horse sized duck, although large, would be a singular challenge, potentially allowing for a more focused and strategic approach, to minimize harm and achieve a positive outcome.

Thank You to Pedro for taking the time to chat and best of luck for the rest of 2025.

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly