News Summary
- Rafael Câmara’s Haas garage at Interlagos displays No. 51 ahead of his Formula 1 debut.
- Câmara previously chose No. 50 as a reference to his birthday, May 5, 2005. His first choice, No. 5, belongs to Gabriel Bortoleto.
- Ryō Hirakawa raced with No. 50 for Haas in Mexico City. Haas has yet to explain the São Paulo allocation publicly or confirm Câmara’s number for 2027.
The first indication of Rafael Câmara’s Formula 1 race number came as Haas set up its garage at Interlagos on Thursday. The panel identifying the Brazilian’s side of the garage displayed No. 51, the number he is set to carry on his home debut at the São Paulo Grand Prix. When Haas signed him for 2027, Câmara had said he wanted No. 50.
Why Câmara originally chose No. 50
Câmara’s first choice was No. 5, a reference to his birth date, May 5, 2005. Fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto already races with that number for Audi, so Câmara discussed his options with his father, who suggested 50.
“The first option would be five, but obviously Gabi [Gabriel Bortoleto] is using that,” Câmara said in October, after Haas announced his full-time seat for 2027.
The No. 50 was already familiar to Haas. The team had used it in practice with Ryō Hirakawa, and the Japanese driver carried it in the Mexico City Grand Prix after replacing Esteban Ocon during the weekend. The official race classification lists Hirakawa 10th in the No. 50 Haas, with a point on his debut.
No. 51 has a Brazilian precedent at Haas
Hirakawa’s use of No. 50 in Mexico made it unavailable to Câmara for his debut this season. The FIA’s rules require a car to display the competition number allocated to the replacement driver. Haas has yet to give a public explanation for the specific allocation at Interlagos. The garage signage establishes the number for São Paulo, while Câmara’s preference for 2027 awaits the FIA’s entry list.
The No. 51 has already appeared on a Haas driven by a Brazilian. Pietro Fittipaldi used it at the Sakhir and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix in 2020 when he replaced Romain Grosjean. On Sunday, it is set to return on Câmara’s car at Interlagos, where Bortoleto will be on the same grid with the No. 5 that Câmara originally wanted.
Câmara’s debut was brought forward after Haas confirmed Ocon would sit out the rest of the season. The team chose him to partner Ollie Bearman after discussing a second outing with Hirakawa, who is racing for Toyota in the WEC title decider at Monza. Câmara starts his first Grand Prix weekend on Friday, with FP1 at 15:30 GMT, 10:30 Eastern and 21:00 IST.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is covering every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix live from Interlagos. Follow our on-site coverage in Formula 1.
