Rafael Camara will make his Formula 1 debut in Brazil

Rafael Camara will make his Formula 1 debut in Brazil; his participation is official. Already announced as a Haas F1 driver for 2027 alongside Ollie Berman, he will take a race seat this weekend after a turbulent weekend in Mexico marked by Esteban Ocon’s fall. The change opens the door for a driver who inspires considerable hope in Brazil.

The decision gives Camara, described as the jewel of the Academia Ferrari, the chance to race at home. At Haas, he has also been labelled the “anti-Antonelli”. Marca describes him as the only driver to have regularly beaten Kimi in karting and F4.

Haas test driver Ryo Hirakawa had taken Ocon’s seat on Saturday and Sunday in Mexico. Before the arrival at Interlagos, the possibility of Camara being promoted was already circulating in the paddock, and the rapid turn of events led to the decision. Haas has also told Ocon that he will not return to a seat with the team for the rest of the season.

Camara steps into the American team’s car at Interlagos this weekend. In its statement, Haas says that “Rafael Camara will join Ollie Bearman in the team for the São Paulo Grand Prix”, scheduled for 6 to 8 November 2026 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. The team describes the event as the twentieth round of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.

Haas also notes that Camara leads the FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship and will make his Formula 1 debut in his home country this year. The team announced him last month as one of its drivers for 2027. A member of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy since 2021, he had already driven a Haas during a test session with a car from a previous season, in August, at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal.

The nickname linked to Antonelli reflects a rivalry dating back to their early careers. In 2019 and the following two seasons, Camara finished ahead of Antonelli in several championships. In 2022, a COVID infection kept him out of the decisive Nürburgring round, where he could have challenged Antonelli for the German F4 title. In a Formula Regional Europea de F4 duel at Monza, Camara beat Kimi; Antonelli won an F1 Grand Prix there two months before the account of that rivalry.

In the 2026 Formula 1 standings, after 19 of 23 rounds, Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads with 380 points and nine wins, ahead of second-placed Max Verstappen on 261 points. Ferrari is second in the constructors’ championship with 504 points, 126 behind Mercedes. Four rounds remain this season.