Camara Lands Haas F1 Seat, Succeeding Ocon in 2027

Brazil will have two drivers on the Formula 1 grid next season. Haas confirmed on Thursday that 21-year-old Rafael Camara has signed a multi-year deal to join the American-owned team, filling the seat vacated by Esteban Ocon, whose departure was announced last month.

Camara arrives with one of the most decorated junior resumes in recent memory. The Ferrari Academy driver won the Formula 3 championship last year and currently leads the Formula 2 standings by seven points over Red Bull-backed Nikola Tsolov with two rounds remaining. His rookie F2 campaign has drawn wide attention for raw speed in difficult moments — team principal Ayao Komatsu singled out Camara's qualifying performances in Monaco and Montreal as proof of his talent, and praised his maturity during a TPC test of the VF-25 at the Algarve circuit in August.

"I don't need to tell everyone about his achievements in the junior formulas, it's been very impressive," Komatsu said in the team's statement. "Rafa managed to create an environment to get the best of himself. It was very impressive and certainly the laps he completed were special."

The signing ends the immediate hopes of Australian reserve Jack Doohan, who had been pushing for a return to a full-time seat after splitting from Renault-owned Alpine. Oliver Bearman, also a Ferrari Academy graduate, is expected to stay alongside Camara. Haas sit seventh of 11 teams ahead of next week's United States Grand Prix in Austin, with Bearman responsible for 23 of their 30 points.