Rafael Câmara to make F1 debut at São Paulo Grand Prix as Haas confirm Esteban Ocon will not return
Haas confirmed that Esteban Ocon will no longer compete for the team in the 2026 Formula One season. Rafael Câmara will make his F1 debut at the São Paulo Grand Prix for his home race.
Haas has confirmed that Esteban Ocon will not drive for the team for the remainder of the 2026 Formula One season. Ferrari Junior Rafael Câmara will make his F1 debut for Haas alongside Oliver Bearman at this weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix.
Câmara, who currently leads the Formula 2 championship standings, will make his debut at his home event. The Brazilian was already signed to drive for Haas in 2027, but will make his debut earlier than originally planned. Ocon had previously announced he would leave Haas at the end of the 2026 season.
During the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa took his place for the remainder of the event. Hirakawa finished tenth during the race and scored a point in his first race for the team.
The Japanese driver is not available this weekend at the Interlagos circuit because the race clashes with the season finale of the World Endurance Championship in Monza, which opened the door for Câmara.
The Brazilian has won titles in both the Formula Regional European Championship and Formula 3. He also impressed Haas in August, when he drove the team’s 2025 car in a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session.
“Looking ahead, we’ve chosen Rafael Câmara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the São Paulo Grand Prix,” Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said.
He added: “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.”
In a statement, the team said it had notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a seat with the team in 2026. “Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City” said Komatsu, “but then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward.”
Haas described the discussions between the team and Ocon as an internal matter and said it would respect their private nature.
Article written by Jana Van Nieuwenborgh
