Rafael Camara to make early Haas F1 debut in Brazil as Esteban Ocon axed
Rafael Camara will make his F1 debut with Haas at this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Rafael Camara will make his Formula 1 debut at this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with Haas confirming that Esteban Ocon will no longer drive for the team.
Haas announced that Ferrari junior and Formula 2 championship leader Camara, who it has already signed for the 2027 season, will make an earlier than planned debut for the American squad.
21-year-old Camara will now make his F1 debut at his home race at Interlagos.
Ocon was sensationally dropped by Haas midway through the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend following a bust-up with team principal Ayao Komatsu.
The 30-year-old Frenchman was replaced by Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, who ended up scoring a point on his F1 debut in Mexico following several post-race penalties.
Hirakawa is due to compete in the final round of the World Endurance Championship this weekend at Monza, where he can win the title for the third time.
Haas has decided to bring in Camara for the weekend, though it is not confirmed who will drive for the team in the final two rounds in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
It is likely that Hirakawa will return for those races given that Camara has clashing F2 commitments and is in title contention.
“We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with TGR Haas F1 Team this season," Komatsu said.
"Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City – but then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward.
"The conversations that ultimately unfolded between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations.
"Looking ahead, we’ve chosen Rafael Câmara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Having excelled in his TPC outing in August, we know Rafa’s capabilities and we’re looking forward to welcoming him into the team this weekend and working with him through his Formula 1 debut driving the VF-26 in Brazil.”
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