Who is Rafael Camara? The Esteban Ocon replacement might be Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari heir
The shock early departure of Esteban Ocon from Haas means a new F1 star has been born: Rafael Camara.
The young Brazilian will be making a dream home debut for the team at this weekend’s Sao Paulo GP, held on the Interlagos circuit.
The rapid youngster is one of Ferrari’s prized junior assets, is currently leading the Formula 2 standings, and could be in line to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Italian team in the near future - here’s everything you need to know about it.
Rafael Camara - Brazil’s new F1 hero and his racing journey
Brazil is renowned for its racing passion, and this weekend the Interlagos circuit will be packed out by fans with a new home hero to roar on.
Rafael Camara will line up for the Haas F1 team this weekend, replacing Esteban Ocon after his sudden exit from the team.
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The Brazilian was signed up to drive for the team in place of Ocon next year anyway, but now will get the best head start for 2027 by making his race debut early.
Camara is currently top of the F2 standings, the main feeder series into F1, but the South American has long established himself as a winner.
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Why Ferrari signed up junior Rafael Camara.
Born in 2005, Camara cleaned up on the regional and domestic go-karting scene in Brazil, as well as championships in Europe too.
He won Italy’s WSK Champions Cup and WSK Super Master Series, as well as Belgium’s Champions of the Future titles in 2021. This success saw him enter the Scuderia Ferrari Drivers’ Academy Scouting World Finals at the end of 2021, a multi-day evaluation camp at the Italian team’s Maranello base. Camara impressed, and he was snapped up by the Scuderia along with his future Haas teammate Ollie Bearman.
Rafael Camara’s immediate impact in single-seaters
Camara made his car racing debut in 2022’s F4 UAE Championship, and was in contention for the championship until a crash took him out of the final round at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina.
The Brazilian would be in contention for more junior titles in the following seasons, but his career really took off by winning the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship with the highly-regarded Prema junior team.
“I’m very happy about this season, we did a very good job, always consistent," he said.
Next, he would win the 2025 F3 title, claiming four race victories and five poles, beating other rising stars such as Nikola Tsolov and Mari Boya, with Audi’s Freddie Slater and this season’s champ Ugo Ugochukwu involved in the series too.
This season, Camara moved up to the F2 series, one step away from Grand Prix racing.
He had a tricky start to 2026, with results including podiums but also some non-points finishes.
After four F2 events, with each weekend including a Sprint race and a Feature race, Camara wasn’t even in the top five in the championship.
However, things began to pick up from Spain onwards, with Camara claiming a win in the feature race.
From there Camara began a steady rise to the top of the points standings, and his Feature Race win at Baku last time out finally saw him overcome the highly-rated Tsolov.
Why Haas chose Rafael Camara to drive for its F1 team
His mature performances impressed Haas, with the Brazilian entered into a shootout test for a 2027 F1 drive this summer against the team’s reserve driver Jack Doohan, 2025 F1 champ Leonardo Fornaroli and sportscar star Ryo Hirakawa.
According to Haas boss Ayao Komatsu, Camara was head and shoulders above the rest at a test that was run in tricky conditions.
"We see huge potential in Rafa," he said. "It was really incredible the feeling he has got to understand the grip level – and adjust to all the conditions. In cool conditions, he set a pretty impressive lap time.
“Then the conditions got worse so the car becomes more difficult to drive – but he didn't panic at all.
"He just drove to the conditions. Then there was a four-hour gap and the conditions were different again. He started with a pretty good lap time – and then had two more runs. The rate of improvement was just incredible."
The Brazilian was signed up to Haas alongside fellow Ferrari Junior Ollie Bearman, meaning it looks like both are now vying to replace Lewis Hamilton at the Scuderia whenever he chooses to move on.
Haas has a close relationship with Ferrari, largely formed from its technical agreement which includes using the manufacturer’s engines in its F1 cars.
Rafael Camara's early F1 chance at the 2026 Sao Paulo GP
Then, following Esteban Ocon’s acrimonious departure from the team in Mexico, Ryo Hirakawa was moved into the seat at the last minute for qualifying and the race.
However, with Hirakawa passed over by the team for next year and unavailable in Brazil due to his Toyota drive in the World Endurance Championship round in Italy on the same weekend, the team were keen to get Camara in the car as soon as possible.
He’ll now make his F1 debut at Interlagos, his home race.
“I’m grateful to TGR Haas F1 Team for giving me this opportunity, and I also want to thank Ferrari for their continued support,” he said.
“Making my Formula 1 debut in Brazil is a special moment for me. I know there is a lot to learn, and my focus is on working closely with the team, understanding the car and doing the best job I can this weekend.”
Topics: Formula 1, Haas F1 Team
James Elson
