Rafael Camara: Who is Ferrari F1 junior rumoured to replace Esteban Ocon
Rafael Camara is the leading contender to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas in F1. But who is he?
Rafael Camara is the favourite to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas in Formula 1 next year.
Ocon is expected to leave Haas upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the current F1 season.
The 30-year-old Frenchman was narrowly beaten by his rookie team-mate Ollie Bearman last year, but the performance gap between the pair this season has noticeably widened during a difficult 2026 season.
Ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ocon declared himself a “free agent” as he revealed he is talking to other F1 teams about potential seats for 2027.
Ocon’s seat has been under threat for a while and the leading contender to replace him has now emerged. But just who is Camara?
Who is Rafael Camara?
Camara is a 21-year-old Brazilian who currently sits second in the Formula 2 standings in his rookie season.
He has had an impressive rise through the single-seater ranks, winning the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship before going on to be crowned Formula 3 champion at the first attempt in 2025.
Camara has taken two feature race victories so far in his rookie F2 campaign and is just seven points behind championship-leader and Red Bull-backed Nikola Tsolov with three scheduled rounds remaining.
Should he go on to take this year’s F2 crown, Camara would do something only five other drivers have previously achieved in winning F3 (or its predecessor GP3) and F2 (or GP2) in back-to-back seasons.
F1 drivers Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and Gabriel Bortoleto, as well as McLaren reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli have all claimed consecutive titles in the feeder series.
Ferrari's next F1 prospect?
Camara is also a member of the Ferrari young driver academy.
Ferrari enjoys close ties with Haas through a technical collaboration and the American outfit will field a line-up consisting of two Ferrari juniors if Camara indeed goes on to partner Bearman next year.
Camara recently took part in a private test for Haas at the end of August at Portimao alongside Fornaroli, Ryo Hirakawa and Jack Doohan, other drivers who Haas has been evaluating for 2027.
Haas is in no rush to select its drivers for next season but Camara is now believed to be at the head of the queue to replace Ocon, having impressed both Ferrari and Haas.
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