Haas rules out Esteban Ocon for rest of 2026, picks Rafael Camara for São Paulo debut

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said Esteban Ocon will not return to a race seat this season and the team has chosen Rafael Camara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the São Paulo Grand Prix. In a statement quoted by Chris Medland at RACER, Komatsu said Haas considered the decision to be in the team's best interest. It will be Camara's Formula 1 debut. Formula 1 says the 21-year-old is set to become the 34th driver from Brazil to race in F1.

Medland reported that Haas dropped Ocon during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend after an internal incident on Friday night. Komatsu called the team's conversations with Ocon an “internal matter.”

Camara's Haas seat for 2027 had already been announced the previous month, according to . In a , The Race quoted Camara's Invicta Formula 2 team boss, James Robinson, praising his natural speed while saying mistakes had cost him in Montreal and Monaco.