Rafael Camara gets early F1 race debut for Haas in Brazil

Haas calls up its F2 leader early

Haas F1 Team has confirmed that Rafael Camara, the driver currently leading the FIA Formula 2 Championship, will make his Formula 1 race debut this weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, from November 6 to 8, 2026. Camara races at Interlagos, his home circuit, alongside regular driver Oliver Bearman in the Haas VF-26. He had already been signed as a full time Haas driver for 2027 after coming through the Ferrari Driver Academy, so this debut arrives a year earlier than planned.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu said Camara earned the seat after a Testing of Previous Cars outing in Haas's 2025 car back in August. "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," Komatsu said.

Why Ocon is out

Camara's call up follows Haas dropping Esteban Ocon from the race seat. Ocon sat out the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend after what several reports describe as a dispute with Komatsu, and reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa stood in, finishing 10th to score a point on his own Haas debut. On November 3, Komatsu confirmed Ocon will not return to the car for the rest of the season, without giving the reason. "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," he said, calling the matter internal to the team.

Who Camara is

Camara is 21 and Brazilian, which makes Sao Paulo an unusual venue for a driver who has never raced there before, stepping into a car he had not driven in a competitive F1 session before this weekend. He won the 2025 FIA Formula 3 title and now drives for Invicta Racing in F2, where he leads the 2026 standings on 207 points, 7 points ahead of Nikola Tsolov, after inheriting a win at Baku when a rival was handed a penalty. Alex Dunne sits third on 189 points, with Gabriele Mini fourth on 163 and Dino Beganovic fifth on 137.

What it means for the ladder

Camara's jump shows how thin the gap has become between F2 and F1. A reserve test or a TPC outing can now turn into a race seat inside months rather than years, whenever a team runs into trouble with its driver line up mid season. For Indian fans who follow the ladder through F1 Academy, F3 and F2 down to the F4 Indian Championship at home, it is a reminder of how far a junior still has to climb, and how fast a seat can open once a team's plans change. No Indian driver currently races in F2 or F3, so for now this is a story to watch rather than one to cheer for at home, but it shows exactly the kind of jump an Indian junior would need to make one day.

Sources

• Rafael Câmara to make F1 debut with Haas F1 Team at Sao Paulo Grand Prix
• F2 racer Camara to make F1 debut at Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Haas confirm Ocon will not return
• Rafael Camara to make early Haas F1 debut in Brazil as Esteban Ocon axed
• 2026 F2 Championship standings after the Azerbaijan GP Feature Race 2