Autosport, RaceFans and BBC Sport have reported:

Rafael Camara will make his Formula 1 debut with Haas in 2027, replacing Esteban Ocon after the Frenchman leaves the American team at the end of 2026. The 21-year-old Brazilian is the current leader of the Formula 2 championship and has signed a multi-year deal with TGR Haas F1 Team. Haas has not formally confirmed its other driver for 2027, but Oliver Bearman is widely expected to continue alongside Camara.

Camara was selected after Haas assessed four drivers, including the reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and reserve drivers Jack Doohan and Ryo Hirakawa. Camara, Fornaroli and Hirakawa took part in a test at Portugal’s Portimao track in August, while Doohan was evaluated separately. Haas used tests in previous years’ F1 cars as part of its selection process.

The team also held a three-day test at Portimao in August as part of its plan to evaluate candidates. Camara drove one of Haas’s F1 chassis in a Test of Previous Cars programme at the Autodromo do Algarve, the circuit that is due to host the Portuguese Grand Prix next year. He has also tested for Ferrari.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said Camara’s performances in the car went beyond outright pace. “I’m really excited to sign such a young, amazing talent like Rafael Camara,” he said. “I don’t need to tell everyone about his achievements in the junior formulas, it’s been very impressive, and in his rookie season in Formula 2, the speed he’s shown in some very difficult moments, like qualifying in Monaco and Montreal - that all goes to show the potential Rafa has.”

Komatsu said Camara adapted well during the Portugal programme despite having limited time to learn the car. “He showed when we had him drive in our TPC programme in Portugal that he could handle himself very well with not a huge amount of time to learn the car, he showed us more than just raw speed,” he said. “Rafa managed to create an environment to get the best out of himself, it was very impressive and certainly the laps he completed were special.”

The team principal said Haas was committed to developing the young driver and supporting him. “We’re all excited about this opportunity and really committed as TGR Haas F1 Team to nurture this talent and provide a place where he can flourish,” Komatsu said. “We want to create an environment where he’s comfortable and supported, where he can really excel in his capabilities.”

Camara said joining Haas marked a significant point in his career and thanked the team’s owner and principal for their confidence in him. “I’m very happy to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team as a Formula 1 driver,” he said. “It’s an important step in my career and I want to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for the trust they have placed in me.”

He also thanked Ferrari’s driver academy and his family for supporting his development. “I’m also very grateful to the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy for their support and for everything they have contributed to my development over the years, as well as to my family for always being there throughout this journey,” Camara said. He said his focus was now on preparing for the move to F1. “Now my focus is on preparing myself in the best possible way for this new challenge. There will be a lot to learn, and I’m looking forward to working closely with the team, understanding the car and continuing to develop as a driver.”

Camara’s promotion follows a rapid rise through the junior categories. He won the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship, also referred to as FRECA or FREC, then took the Formula 3 title in 2025 at his first attempt. He currently leads the F2 standings by seven points over Nikola Tsolov. If he wins the championship, he will become the only driver to take FRECA, F3 and F2 titles in consecutive seasons.

His qualifying record has been a defining feature of that progress. Camara claimed seven pole positions on his way to the 2024 regional title and five poles from nine rounds in his 2025 F3 campaign. That F3 tally was described as unprecedented in the current era; Luca Ghiotto last recorded the same feat in the 2015 GP3 season, when he narrowly lost the title to Ocon in what was described as one of the most competitive championship fights at that level.

In F2, Camara has taken five pole positions from 13 rounds, more than any other driver, with no other competitor scoring more than two. His season has included consistent points finishes and commanding feature-race wins, as well as mistakes. One came in Monaco, where he locked up and retired while fighting Tsolov for victory.

The final F2 rounds are scheduled for Qatar and Abu Dhabi, though there has been no indication whether both races will be able to go ahead. Camara’s current seven-point advantage over Tsolov is therefore the gap he carries into the remaining championship schedule, subject to those rounds taking place.

Camara joined Ferrari’s junior programme in 2022, and the Scuderia’s relationship with Haas was a factor in his candidacy. Ferrari supplies Haas with car parts, including its power unit. Bearman is also a Ferrari Driver Academy member, giving Haas two academy graduates in its expected 2027 line-up if the Briton is confirmed.

Haas considered other candidates, including Fornaroli, who is the reigning F2 champion, and its reserve drivers Doohan and Hirakawa. All three candidates as well as Camara were involved in the assessment process, with the Portugal test including Camara, Fornaroli and Hirakawa. Haas had taken time to announce its decision, although Camara had been expected to secure the seat.

The appointment leaves three F1 seats theoretically available for 2027, according to the reported line-up picture. Two are at Racing Bulls, which is expected to retain Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad. The remaining seat is the one alongside Camara at Haas, where Bearman, 21, is expected to be confirmed for a third season after impressing since joining as a rookie last year.

Ocon’s departure was confirmed on 30 September. He joined Haas at the start of 2025 and is due to leave after two seasons alongside Bearman. His time with the team has been difficult, with the car’s inconsistency identified as a problem, while Ocon has scored fewer points so far than Bearman despite his greater experience.

The decision has prompted debate over whether Haas is giving up too much experience for a young prospect. Ocon is a proven grand prix winner, having won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and has competed in F1 for about a decade. He finished ahead of Fernando Alonso in their 2022 season as team-mates, scoring 92 points to Alonso’s 81, a feat achieved by only two drivers, with Jenson Button the other.

Ocon also had a strong first full season in 2017, scoring points in every race but two for Force India, and came close to a move to Mercedes during the team’s dominant period. He won GP3 as a junior and beat Max Verstappen in European F3. Those results have been cited as reasons to consider his experience and past achievements when judging his exit from Haas.

Ocon has spoken bluntly about his situation, saying, “I don't deserve this shit.” One view is that the team’s inconsistent VF-26 has limited his opportunities to show his pace, and that his recent performances have put him at least on a par with Bearman. Komatsu has acknowledged inconsistency issues with the car, while Ocon has said he has had only a handful of races in which he could properly compete.

Haas has previously benefited from experienced drivers, including Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, who helped establish the team as a credible competitor. The team has also struggled with rookies, including Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin, though their appointments were tied to financial backing when Haas was seeking to survive. Critics of the 2027 choice question whether the team needs another rookie and whether Camara can immediately score more points than Ocon.

Supporters of the move point to Camara’s speed, potential and age. He is the same age as Bearman, and the example of Kimi Antonelli, who began the 2026 season as a teenager and is viewed as champion-in-waiting, has been raised as evidence that age alone need not prevent a driver from succeeding. If Camara wins F2, he will join Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto as drivers who won F2 and F3 titles as rookies, while adding the regional championship in consecutive seasons.

There are also questions about Ferrari’s influence and the independence of Haas. Camara and Bearman are both Ferrari academy drivers, and one criticism is that Ferrari could call either driver back when it needs them, leaving Haas to build around drivers effectively on loan from a larger team. Ocon, by contrast, was described as Haas’s own driver. Another view is that Camara’s potential offers a rare chance to secure a future frontrunner, and that Ocon’s recent struggles and the car’s problems do not outweigh the opportunity to prepare for the team’s future.

The final assessment of the move may depend on what Haas saw during its previous-car tests and how Camara adapts to F1. His supporters argue that his pace already meets the level required and that his junior record suggests the potential to contend for wins and championships in the coming decade. Haas has said it intends to give him the support and environment to develop, while the team’s other 2027 seat remains formally unconfirmed.