Rafael Câmara to make F1 debut for Haas at home Sao Paulo GP as Ocon's season ends early

Brazilian Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Câmara will make his Formula 1 race debut at his home Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend. Haas confirmed on Tuesday, 3 November, that the 21-year-old will drive the VF-26 alongside Ollie Bearman at Interlagos, and that Esteban Ocon will not return to a race seat with the team for the rest of 2026.

Haas closes the door on Ocon for 2026

The announcement follows the turbulent Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, when Haas stood Ocon down part-way through the event after a dispute with team principal Ayao Komatsu and called up reserve Ryo Hirakawa, who scored a point on debut. Hirakawa is not available for Brazil because he races in the World Endurance Championship season finale at Monza this weekend, where he is fighting for the title with Toyota.

In the team statement, Komatsu said Haas had notified Ocon he would not return to a race seat this season and that the conversations with the French driver would stay internal. He also explained why the team turned to Câmara: "Having excelled in his TPC outing in August, we know Rafa's capabilities."

That August outing was a test in an older Haas car at Portimão under F1's testing of previous cars (TPC) rules, so Câmara will not arrive completely cold. Even so, Interlagos will be his first official session in a current-specification Formula 1 car on a Grand Prix weekend.

An early start to a contract that begins in 2027

Câmara was already on his way to Haas. On 15 October the team announced it had signed the Ferrari Driver Academy member on a multi-year deal from 2027, taking the seat Ocon was due to vacate at the end of this season. The Brazilian joined the Ferrari academy in 2021, won the Formula 3 title in 2025 and leads the 2026 Formula 2 standings ahead of Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov.

Brazil therefore becomes an unplanned head start: a race weekend with the team he joins full-time next year, on a circuit he knows, in front of a home crowd. He will not be the only Brazilian on the grid either, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto also racing at home.

What happens after Brazil is still open

Haas has only confirmed Câmara for the Sao Paulo round. Brazilian outlet Grande Prêmio reported that he is also expected to stay in the car for the Las Vegas Grand Prix later this month, but at the time of writing Haas had not announced its line-up for Las Vegas, Qatar or Abu Dhabi.

The final two rounds are complicated by Câmara's Formula 2 commitments. The F2 title will be decided at the Qatar and Abu Dhabi rounds, which run on the same weekends as the F1 races, so he cannot do both. Reports in Brazil and the UK suggest Hirakawa is the likely option for Haas in the Middle East once his WEC duties are complete.

Sao Paulo GP weekend in Malaysia time

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is a standard (non-sprint) weekend, the 20th round of 23. São Paulo is 11 hours behind Malaysia, so the key sessions fall as follows:

• Practice 1: Friday 6 November, 11.30pm MYT
• Qualifying: Sunday 8 November, 2am MYT (Saturday 3pm local)
• Race (71 laps): Monday 9 November, 1am MYT (Sunday 2pm local)

Key takeaways

• Rafael Câmara, 21, makes his F1 race debut for Haas at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, partnering Ollie Bearman.
• Haas confirmed Esteban Ocon will not return to a race seat with the team this season.
• Ryo Hirakawa, who stood in for Ocon in Mexico, is racing in the WEC finale at Monza this weekend.
• Câmara is already signed by Haas on a multi-year deal from 2027 and leads the 2026 F2 standings.
• Haas has not yet confirmed its drivers for Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

FAQ

Who replaces Esteban Ocon at Haas for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix? Rafael Câmara, the Brazilian Formula 2 championship leader and Ferrari junior, will drive alongside Ollie Bearman at Interlagos.

Why isn't Ryo Hirakawa driving for Haas in Brazil? Hirakawa, who replaced Ocon during the Mexico City weekend, is committed to Toyota for the World Endurance Championship season finale at Monza, which clashes with the Brazil race weekend.

What time is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Malaysia? The race starts at 2pm local time on Sunday 8 November, which is 1am on Monday 9 November in Malaysia. Qualifying is at 2am MYT on Sunday.

Sources: Crash.net, GPblog, Autoweek, Grande Prêmio, RACER, The Rio Times