Brazil already knows: Câmara will drive at Interlagos and in Las Vegas
Getty Images/Haas
One of the biggest questions heading into the São Paulo Grand Prix concerns the driver line-up at Haas. Esteban Ocon was sacked during the Mexican weekend. The team then imposed a media blackout on the matter, saying all questions would be addressed after Sunday.
Even on Tuesday evening, there is still no official word on Haas’s decision. With the team refusing to comment on the matter, we do not know what Ocon did on Friday, let alone who will replace him.
Ryo Hirakawa stepped into the car in Mexico, where he was on reserve driver duty that weekend, and delivered what was asked of him. He even snatched a point after penalties for Piastri and the Alpine drivers. The question, though, is what Haas should do next. Hirakawa is due to race for Toyota in the WEC this weekend. The team’s reserve driver Jack Doohan and future Haas driver Rafael Câmara have also been mentioned.
“I think if I were Haas, I’d be doing everything possible now to extricate myself from the Ocon contract and get Camara in there as quickly as possible. Get him to learn as much as possible this year, and basically he can treat this year as testing for next season,” Karun Chandhok said on Sky.
With the team having no major plans for either Doohan or Hirakawa, what would be the point of putting them in the car? Giving Câmara the seat, by contrast, would allow the Brazilian to gain invaluable experience ahead of the new season. According to Brazilian broadcaster Globo, the country’s largest television network and also an F1 rights holder, that is exactly how Haas’s management sees it.
“Rafael Câmara’s Formula 1 debut will come sooner than expected. Already confirmed as a Haas race driver for 2027, the Brazilian has been handed the opportunity to contest two races before the end of the 2026 season: the São Paulo and Las Vegas Grands Prix, the next two rounds of the championship, as Voando Baixo and GE.globo can exclusively reveal,” reports Globo.com.
According to the report, Esteban Ocon’s Haas contract will be terminated, leaving the team in need of a replacement for the final part of the season. The Brazilian broadcaster says Hirakawa is already on his way to Monza for the finale of the endurance championship.
Interestingly, however, the same source reports that Hirakawa is expected to return for the events in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, while Câmara continues his Formula 2 title challenge. The Brazilian report is nevertheless certain that Câmara will race at Interlagos and in Las Vegas.
