Rafael Camara gets his F1 shot: Ferrari junior joins Haas for 2027
The 21-year-old Brazilian will replace Esteban Ocon alongside Oliver Bearman, giving Haas an all-Ferrari Academy line-up. He's leading Formula 2 as a rookie.
Rafael Camara is going to Formula 1. Haas has signed the 21-year-old Brazilian on a multi-year deal for 2027, where he will replace Esteban Ocon alongside Oliver Bearman.
It’s a big call on a driver who is still in his first season of Formula 2, and who is leading it.
Three years, three titles?
Camara has been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2022, and his junior career has been close to perfect:
| Year | Series | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Formula Regional European Championship | Champion |
| 2025 | FIA Formula 3 | Champion |
| 2026 | FIA Formula 2 | Leading as a rookie |
His F3 title came with one of the best records the series has seen: he equalled Arvid Lindblad’s mark for the highest win percentage in F3 history. In Formula 2 this year he has three Feature Race wins and four more podiums, and leads the standings with two rounds to go, seven points clear of Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov.
If he holds on, he joins a famous club. Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto all won the third-tier title (F3 or GP3) and then F2 as a rookie, in back-to-back years, before reaching F1.
Lightning over one lap
Qualifying is where Camara stands out. He took a record-breaking five poles in F3 last year, and has five more in F2 this season. Only Charles Leclerc’s single-season F2 record of eight is out of reach.
Race day is the question mark
Turning those poles into wins has been harder, and Camara knows it. After his third F2 pole, he joked about his conversion rate: “50-50 maybe, no? Maybe I’ll crash tomorrow or Sunday.”
The record backs him up. Small errors while defending the lead cost him a likely win in Miami, and a pole in Monaco ended in retirement after a near miss with Tsolov. When he has converted, at Barcelona, Spa and Baku, it has been through strong tyre management. Wheel-to-wheel racing is the part of his game F1 will test hardest.
An all-Ferrari Academy line-up
Camara will partner Bearman, who also came through the Ferrari Driver Academy, giving Ferrari’s customer team two of its own juniors in 2027. He becomes the third Ferrari junior to get a full-time Haas seat, after Mick Schumacher and Bearman.
He has already had a taste of the team’s machinery, driving the 2025 Haas in a test at Portimão in August. Ocon’s exit was confirmed at the end of September, and he has yet to announce where he goes next.
What they said
Rafael Camara: “I’m very happy to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team as a Formula 1 driver.”
Ayao Komatsu, Haas Team Principal: “I’m really excited to sign such a young, amazing talent like Camara.”
Gene Haas, team owner: said “these younger drivers are well prepared, and they can make an immediate impact on a team.”
And yes, he’s picked his number
Camara will reportedly race with number 50, and there’s a neat reason behind it. He was born on 5 May 2005: 5/5/05. He wanted number 5, but Bortoleto already has it, and Carlos Sainz has 55.
Our take: Brazil’s moment
With Bortoleto at Audi, 2027 could have two Brazilians on the grid for the first time since Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr in 2016. For a country that gave F1 Fittipaldi, Piquet and Senna, that’s been a long wait.
The timing couldn’t be better either. São Paulo hosts the Brazilian Grand Prix in just over three weeks. Expect Interlagos to be loud for Bortoleto, and louder still for the kid who’ll join him next year.
