Haas parts ways with Ocon as Camara makes F1 debut at São Paulo GP

Haas has officially announced that Esteban Ocon will not race for the team for the remainder of the 2026 season. Following the decision, Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara will make his first Formula 1 start for Haas at the São Paulo Grand Prix. The news was first reported by Motorsport.com Türkiye and RACER.

Camara's F1 debut brought forward

Camara had reportedly agreed a deal with Haas for the 2027 season, when he was due to make his F1 debut. Ocon's departure has brought that timetable forward. Ryo Hirakawa, who stepped in for Ocon at the Mexico City GP and scored points, will not be able to race in Brazil because of his World Endurance Championship (WEC) commitments. That leaves Camara with the chance to race in front of his home crowd at his first grand prix.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu said Ocon had been formally told that he would not race for Haas again this season. According to Komatsu, decisions of this kind are not taken on a whim, and the team believed in Mexico that the move was the right one for the team's future and interests. Komatsu added that discussions between Ocon and the team would remain an internal matter, and that Haas would respect the privacy of what has happened behind closed doors.

Camara to partner Ollie Bearman

Komatsu said Camara had been chosen to race alongside Ollie Bearman at the Brazilian GP. The team principal said Haas had been impressed by Camara's performance in the August TPC tests and that the team was excited to work with him in his first F1 race.

Las Vegas and the rest of the season

According to a report by Brazilian outlet Globo, Camara will also race for Haas at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Haas has not yet confirmed this, so the claim remains unverified. The same report said Hirakawa is expected to return to the Haas seat for the final two races of the season, in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Those events clash with the Formula 2 season finale, where Camara is fighting for the title and, according to Globo, leads the standings. Globo also reported that Hirakawa will compete in a WEC race at Monza on the same dates as the São Paulo GP.