For the second successive grand prix there will be a debutant on the grid for Haas, and this time it is Rafael Camara’s turn to be thrown in at the deep end.
For the first time since 1994 a team will run a debutant at two successive rounds—with Camara climbing aboard the VF-26 vacated by WEC-bound Ryo Hirakawa, following the unexpected exit of Esteban Ocon.
In doing so, Brazil native Camara will become the first driver to make their debut on home soil since Markus Winkelhock was parachuted in by Spyker for a one-off appearance at Germany’s Nürburgring in 2007.
But there is no local knowledge for Camara at Interlagos, as he has never before raced at the venue, having traveled the perennial FIA Single-Seater pyramid since 2022.
And unlike the majority of modern rookies, Camara has not yet participated in a grand prix weekend. He was scheduled to run in FP1 for backers Ferrari—in place of Charles Leclerc, who is arriving late in Brazil following the birth of his daughter on Tuesday—but he will now spend the entire race weekend with Haas.
His time in Formula 1 extends to a TPC [Testing of Previous Cars] outing for Haas in Portugal in August, the strength of which accelerated his signing to a 2027 seat at the team, and some private runs with backers Ferrari.
“There will be a lot of things going on this weekend, but I think I’m just really looking forward to driving and getting in the car, just to enjoy,” said Camara.
“I think I would never expect to do a first race here in Brazil in Formula 1. We know that it’s almost at the end of the season, so you would not really expect to be doing your first race here.”
Camara, last year’s Formula 3 Champion, currently leads the Formula 2 standings ahead of the final events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi—and says no decision has yet been taken on his plans. Drivers are not permitted to take part in multiple series on the same weekend.
“I think that's something that we’ll be discussing, I think, after the weekend, to prepare how the future will be,” he said. “I’ll just make sure that I’m doing a great job this weekend, and then after that we see what will happen. But yeah, I don’t predict the future. Let’s see what will happen.”
Getting Camara quickly up to speed is also vital for Haas, which is locked in a tight battle with Audi for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship, where every position means a multi-million-dollar difference.
Haas started 2026 rapidly, as the strongest midfield outfit, but has since only occasionally scored points and has been reeled in by Audi. After penalties for rivals, Hirakawa was promoted to 10th post-race in Mexico, adding a point to Haas’ tally, but the good fortune was actually bad news for the team, as Gabriel Bortoleto was elevated to eighth, closing the gap between the squads to just four points.
“I think it will be a weekend where I was just trying to really focus on things that I can control, focus on my job and really just trying to grow up in the weekend,” said Camara. “So it’s true that I will be racing here in Brazil and there will be a lot of fun, there will be a lot of things going on, but I think I just really see that more as a positive thing, so I can have more energy for pushing more and make sure that I’m doing everything that I can to do a good weekend.
“In the end, obviously, I don’t want to create a lot of expectations, but I just want to finish the weekend happy with myself.”
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.
