It is, by his own admission, completely crazy. Rafael Camara is heading to Formula 1 with Haas in 2027, capping off a remarkable rise that has the reigning F3 champion currently leading the F2 standings with just two rounds remaining.
Meeting in a Central London hotel on the day of his announcement, the 21-year-old admitted the reality is still setting in. Entering the year with the backing of Ferrari, whose junior programme he joined in 2021, Camara knew a strong campaign could force an opening on the 2027 grid. Even when a championship charge looked difficult—he sat 47 points off the lead at one stage—he kept his composure.
My dad, he was more emotional. When he came to hug me, it was just... you cannot hold [the emotion], it just comes out.
Ferrari prepared their young charge behind the scenes, including a private test at the Hungaroring in Hungary in May. That paved the way for an old-fashioned shoot-out test in Haas machinery, where team boss Ayao Komatsu evaluated four young drivers as he weighed up a replacement for Esteban Ocon.
"For sure it was an intense two days," Camara says of the test. "Obviously it was a new track, new team. I went to do the seat fit but obviously I didn't meet everyone, so it was a new environment and for sure it was quite intense."
Despite the pressure of a two-day audition on a new track and in unfamiliar machinery, the Brazilian immediately caught the engineering team's attention. His ability to extract performance instantly, adapt to tricky conditions, and keep mistakes to a minimum echoed the traits he displayed on his F3 debut in Melbourne, Australia, where he posted the fastest lap on his second push lap in practice and took pole.
When Komatsu delivered the good news, Camara shared it with his family in a rush. "I didn't know how to say it to them so I just said quickly – I'll be driving next year," he recalls, laughing. "My dad, he was more emotional. When he came to hug me, it was just... you cannot hold [the emotion], it just comes out."
When he arrives on the grid, he will find familiar company. He has known fellow Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto since they raced go-karts together in Brazil at age seven, alongside Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar, and Arvid Lindblad.
For now, the immediate priority is closing out the F2 title. He leads Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov by seven points, and if he succeeds, he will follow in the footsteps of drivers like Bortoleto, Oscar Piastri, George Russell, and Charles Leclerc by winning F3 and F2 back-to-back. An end-of-season young driver test with Haas awaits once the junior season concludes, setting up a busy winter ahead.
