News Summary
- Rafael Câmara drove Ferrari’s 2025 SF-25 at Imola on Tuesday in his fourth TPC programme with the team
- The Ferrari junior is one of five drivers officially identified by Haas as candidates for its 2027 seat
- The test follows Câmara’s recent Haas evaluation at Portimão as Ferrari continues supporting his push towards F1
Rafael Câmara returned to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car at Imola on Tuesday as Ferrari continues preparing its academy prospect for a possible move to Haas in 2027.
The 21-year-old drove the SF-25, Ferrari’s 2025 car, at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in another Testing of Previous Cars programme.
It is Câmara’s fourth TPC programme with Ferrari, following previous running at the Hungaroring, Barcelona and Mugello.
This one, however, comes at an increasingly important point in his career.
Câmara has already completed his evaluation with Haas at Portimão and is officially among the five drivers under consideration for a 2027 race seat. Team principal Ayao Komatsu recently named Câmara, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ryō Hirakawa, Jack Doohan and incumbent Esteban Ocon as the candidates.
Ferrari, meanwhile, has made no secret of what it wants for its academy driver.
Team principal Frédéric Vasseur confirmed Ferrari is working with Haas to help Câmara reach F1 in 2027, with the extensive TPC programme forming a central part of that preparation.
Câmara’s F1 mileage continues to grow
Tuesday’s Imola appearance follows a busy period of Formula 1 testing for Câmara.
Ferrari put him in the SF-25 at Mugello in late August specifically to prepare for the subsequent Haas evaluation in Portugal. Câmara then travelled directly to Portimão, where Haas compared several of the candidates for its 2027 line-up.
Brazilian outlet GE reported after that test that Câmara impressed Haas and produced a faster benchmark than the reference previously established by Oliver Bearman.
Haas did not publish official lap times from the private test, meaning those comparisons should not be treated as official results.
What is clear is that Câmara remains firmly in contention.
Komatsu subsequently confirmed the five-man shortlist and said performance is the principal criterion Haas will use when making its decision.
That gives the latest Ferrari test more significance than a routine academy outing. Câmara is accumulating mileage in contemporary F1 machinery at precisely the moment Haas is assessing whether he is ready to make the jump.
Ferrari is actively pushing Câmara towards Haas
Ferrari’s involvement is particularly important.
Câmara has been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, and Vasseur has publicly described the resources Maranello is committing to his development.
“We support Rafa a lot,” Vasseur said during the Dutch GP weekend in a press conference attended by GRANDE PRÊMIO.
“It’s not only financial support. We are doing a lot of TPC with him this year. The cost of the TPC is many times more than the financial support.”
Vasseur also made Ferrari’s objective explicit: “Haas is our partner and together we are trying to find the best way to put him in F1 next year.”
That relationship provides Câmara with an obvious route towards the grid.
Haas has a long-standing technical partnership with Ferrari and already runs another former Ferrari Academy prospect, Oliver Bearman. But the American team makes its own driver decisions, and Câmara faces competition from drivers connected to different manufacturers and development programmes.
The Imola mileage therefore matters primarily as preparation rather than as a direct shoot-out.
Câmara’s 2027 case extends beyond Ferrari tests
Câmara’s F1 prospects are also being shaped by what he is doing in Formula 2.
The Brazilian remains firmly in the championship fight with Nikola Tsolov as the season approaches its decisive rounds. After Madrid, Câmara sits just 7 points behind the championship leader, making his rookie F2 campaign another important part of Haas’ evaluation.
His next major challenge comes in Baku, where the title battle resumes later in September.
That means Câmara is effectively fighting on two fronts: trying to win the F2 championship while demonstrating to Haas that he is ready to become a Formula 1 driver.
Ferrari is doing everything it can to ensure the second part does not fail through lack of preparation.
The repeated SF-25 tests at Hungaroring, Barcelona, Mugello and now Imola underline how seriously Maranello is treating that process.
GRANDE PRÊMIO follows the F1 driver market and the championship throughout the season, with news, analysis and paddock developments available in our Formula 1 section.
For Câmara, the remaining question is no longer whether Ferrari wants to prepare him for Formula 1.
It is whether Haas decides he is ready for 2027.
FAQ
Why is Rafael Câmara testing Ferrari’s SF-25 at Imola?
Ferrari is giving Câmara extensive mileage in previous-generation F1 machinery as part of his development programme. The testing also helps prepare him for a possible Formula 1 debut with Haas in 2027.
Is Rafael Câmara a candidate for a Haas F1 seat in 2027?
Yes. Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has named Câmara among five candidates alongside Leonardo Fornaroli, Ryō Hirakawa, Jack Doohan and Esteban Ocon.
How is Rafael Câmara doing in Formula 2?
Câmara is fighting for the 2026 F2 championship in his rookie season. After Madrid, he trails championship leader Nikola Tsolov by 7 points ahead of the Baku round.
