Ferrari protégé Rafael Câmara will make his Formula 1 debut for Haas at this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix, with Esteban Ocon axed.
Formula 2 title leader Câmara had already been signed by Haas for 2027 on a multi-year deal, but his debut has now been brought forward.
Haas dropped regular racer Ocon mid-weekend in Mexico City, following a disagreement after Friday practice, and drafted in reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for his debut.
Hirakawa has clashing commitments for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship, which he leads ahead of the final round of the season at Monza this weekend, as he pursues a third title.
Câmara, 21, therefore gets an opportunity to make an early start to life with Haas, and will do so on home soil in Brazil.
Haas has not yet communicated its plans for the final three rounds, in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, with Câmara currently having Formula 2 duties at the Middle East events.
In a statement communicating Câmara’s debut, Haas also confirmed that Ocon will not return.
“We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with Haas this season,” said Team Principal Ayao Komatsu.
“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.
“We’ve chosen Rafael Câmara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the São Paulo Grand Prix.
“Having excelled in his TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] 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.”
U.K.-based Phillip Horton started covering Grands Prix while still at university and swiftly deemed that writing about Formula 1 and the behind-the-scenes machinations was much more engaging than reading centuries-old novels. Degree gained, he went on to cover the sport full-time from 2014 and is as intrigued and excited by the destinations Formula 1 visits during its lengthy annual world tour as the racing itself. Phillip joined Autoweek in 2021 and while he has just about learned to spell in American English he has yet to find anywhere in America that makes a proper cup of tea.
