News Summary
- Rafael Câmara’s performance in a private test at Portimão was decisive in securing a multi-year deal with Haas for the 2027 Formula 1 season.
- Team principal Ayao Komatsu said the Brazilian’s speed and the feeling with the car were the overriding factors in the decision.
- Câmara beat competition from Jack Doohan, Ryō Hirakawa and Leonardo Fornaroli to earn the seat vacated by Esteban Ocon.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has explained why Rafael Câmara emerged as the clear choice to complete the team’s driver line-up for the 2027 Formula 1 season, pointing to the Brazilian’s outstanding performance during a private test and his development in Formula 2.
Câmara will make his F1 debut next season after signing a multi-year contract with the American-based team. The 21-year-old will replace Esteban Ocon and is expected to partner Oliver Bearman, forming an all-Ferrari Driver Academy line-up.
The Brazilian was among several candidates evaluated by Haas as the team considered its options for 2027. Alongside Câmara, the assessment included Haas reserve drivers Jack Doohan and Ryō Hirakawa, as well as McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli, the reigning Formula 2 champion.
According to Komatsu, however, Câmara stood out during the evaluations, particularly in a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme at Portimão, Portugal, where the candidates drove Haas’s 2025 car.
“I always said we’re going to choose drivers by performance and then through those evaluations Rafa just showed incredible speed and feel, so that was the fully overriding factor above everything else,” Komatsu said.
The team principal stressed that its relationship with Ferrari provided access to promising young drivers but was not the reason for Câmara’s promotion.
“We have a good relationship with Ferrari, but that just means that gives us the access to FDA drivers,” he added.
Speed and adaptability made the difference
Câmara’s performance in the test reinforced the progress he has made throughout his first season in Formula 2. The Brazilian currently leads the championship with two rounds remaining, having secured Feature Race victories in Barcelona, Belgium and Azerbaijan.
His promotion follows a rapid rise through the junior categories. After winning the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship, Câmara claimed the FIA Formula 3 title in 2025 during his rookie campaign in the series.
He has also demonstrated a strong qualifying record in the junior categories, an attribute that helped distinguish him during the evaluation process.
Haas was not simply looking for a driver with an impressive record in the feeder series. Komatsu had previously highlighted speed and the ability to work effectively within the team as essential qualities for the role, particularly for an outfit operating with fewer resources than the championship’s leading teams.
Câmara’s ability to adapt quickly to Formula 1 machinery was therefore an important part of his case. The Portimão test gave Haas an opportunity to assess his pace in a more representative environment than his Formula 2 results alone could provide.
Ferrari connection and a calculated risk
Câmara’s appointment also reinforces Haas’s relationship with Ferrari. The Brazilian has been part of the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, following a development pathway similar to Bearman’s before reaching Formula 1.
Bearman’s progress since joining Haas in 2025 has provided the team with a recent example of how a young Ferrari-backed driver can develop in its environment. Promoting Câmara, however, still carries an element of risk: the Brazilian will enter Formula 1 without having made a Grand Prix weekend appearance in the championship.
The decision also brings an end to Ocon’s two-season stint with Haas. The Frenchman joined the team for 2025 after leaving Alpine but will depart at the end of the 2026 campaign.
For Câmara, the next step is to prepare for the demands of Formula 1 while continuing his fight for the Formula 2 title. His promotion will also make him the second Brazilian on the 2027 grid, alongside Gabriel Bortoleto, who races for Audi.
Haas’s decision ultimately reflects the performance-first approach outlined by Komatsu: Câmara’s results in the junior categories helped establish his credentials, but it was the speed and adaptability he demonstrated behind the wheel of the team’s car that made the decisive impression.
Formula 1 returns for the United States Grand Prix in Austin on October 23–25, where Haas will compete on home soil with Bearman and Ocon before the latter’s departure. GRANDE PRÊMIO will follow the team’s preparations and the 2027 driver market through its Formula 1 coverage.
