Rafael Câmara Moves Up F1 Debut and Will Race at São Paulo GP for Haas
The 21-year-old from Pernambuco inherits Esteban Ocon's seat; Brazil will have two drivers on the grid at Interlagos for the first time since 2016.
Translated from the Portuguese original by the Panorama newsroom. Read in Portuguese
Summary written by the Panorama newsroom from the sources listed below. Facts are attributed to the original publications.
Rafael Câmara will make his Formula 1 debut this year. The 21-year-old from Pernambuco, confirmed as a Haas regular for 2027, will race at the São Paulo GP next weekend, and also at the Las Vegas GP on November 22, according to Folha.
He inherits the car of Esteban Ocon, who fell out with team members and will have his contract terminated. The Frenchman already missed the Mexican GP on Sunday (1st), when he was replaced by Japan's Ryo Hirakawa.
Hirakawa will not be able to fill in again in São Paulo, as he will be competing for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) title at Monza, for Toyota.
Câmara leads the F2 championship, and the last two F1 rounds coincide with the end of the feeder category. For that reason, it is not yet clear whether he will race in all the remaining events. There is also a risk to the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races, because of sporting event cancellations in the Middle East.
With Câmara and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto, Brazil will have two drivers on the grid, something that had not happened since Abu Dhabi in 2016, with Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr.