Here is a stunning move for the future: Formula 2 leader and Ferrari junior Rafael Camara will step up to Formula 1 for the 2027 season after inking a multi-year deal with Haas. The 21-year-old Brazilian has been carving up single-seaters ever since joining the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022, capturing the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship before storming into Formula 3 for the following year.
During that F3 campaign, Camara secured another title, equalling Arvid Lindblad for the highest win percentage in the history of the category. That earned him an immediate graduation to Formula 2, where he currently leads the drivers' standings by a seven-point margin in his rookie season. Three Feature Race victories and a further four podiums have built that advantage over Red Bull protege Nikola Tsolov, proving the raw speed that caught the eye of the American squad.
He showed when we had him drive in our TPC program in Portugal that he could handle himself very well with not a huge amount of time to learn the car,
He did not just impress on the junior circuits either, getting his hands dirty in an F1 car during an August Testing of Previous Car session at Portimao behind the wheel of Haas' 2025 challenger. "I'm very happy to be joining TGR Haas F1 Team as a Formula 1 driver," said Camara, expressing gratitude to team owner Gene Haas, Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy, and his family. "Now my focus is on preparing myself in the best possible way for this new challenge."
Komatsu was just as thrilled to secure such a hot prospect, highlighting the youngster's pace through tough moments like qualifying sessions in Monaco and Montreal. "He showed when we had him drive in our TPC program in Portugal that he could handle himself very well with not a huge amount of time to learn the car," Komatsu noted, praising the special laps he put down. Gene Haas added that the team has already experienced a similar trajectory and Ferrari academy association with Ollie Bearman, noting that these younger drivers arrive well-prepared to make an immediate impact.
The announcement comes right on the heels of Esteban Ocon confirming his departure from the American outfit at the end of this current season, while fellow Ferrari-backed driver Bearman is likely to keep his seat. For Camara, the journey is only scaling up, and the grid awaits a very hungry rookie when 2027 rolls around.
