Haas have confirmed Esteban Ocon will not race for the team again this season and handed Formula 2 leader Rafael Camara his Formula 1 debut at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, bringing forward a 2027 plan after Ocon’s exit from the Mexico City weekend.
Haas announced on Tuesday that Ocon’s season is over and that Brazilian Rafael Camara, already signed to replace him from 2027, will make his Formula 1 debut at his home race at Interlagos alongside Oliver Bearman.
A season ended early
Team principal Ayao Komatsu delivered the verdict in a short statement. “We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with TGR Haas F1 Team this season,” he said. Komatsu described the decision as one taken in the team’s interest and called the conversations with Ocon an internal matter.
The move follows a turbulent Mexico City weekend. Ocon was taken out of the car mid-weekend after a reported confrontation with Komatsu following Friday practice. Ocon has confirmed a disagreement took place but denied reports that it turned physical. Haas has declined to describe what happened. Ocon had already announced he would leave the team at the end of 2026, so the break only shortens a farewell that was already scheduled.
Hirakawa’s point and Camara’s promotion
Reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa took Ocon’s place in Mexico, qualified 19th on his debut and finished the race 10th to score a point. That result could prove valuable in Haas’s constructors’ battle, but the team has turned to Camara for Brazil. We reported when Haas signed Camara for 2027, and the Brazilian now gets a head start on that deal.
Camara leads this year’s Formula 2 championship and is a Ferrari-backed junior who has won the Formula Regional European and FIA Formula 3 titles. He impressed Haas in an August test in a previous-year car, and the team has moved him into a race seat rather than wait for next season.
What comes next
Haas has confirmed Camara only for Brazil. Its line-up for Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi has not been announced, and Camara’s other commitments mean his availability for the final rounds is not yet clear. For Camara, Interlagos offers a rare chance to make a Formula 1 debut in front of home fans. For Haas, it closes a difficult chapter with Ocon and starts the Camara and Bearman pairing a season early.
