Haas fires Ocon, calls up Ferrari junior Camara for Brazil GP

Rafael Camara’s Brazil F1 debut: What Ferrari and Fred Vasseur have told Haas.

Haas has dropped Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The decision follows an explosive fallout between Ocon and team principal Ayao Komatsu.

Komatsu confirmed the move in a statement on Wednesday, saying the team had notified Ocon he would not return to a race seat this year.

“Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City – but then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward,” Komatsu said.

He added that the conversations between the team and Ocon would remain internal.

“The conversations that ultimately unfolded between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations,” Komatsu said.

Ocon had already been replaced by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Hirakawa finished tenth on his first Grand Prix appearance.

Now, Ferrari junior Rafael Camara will step into the seat for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos this weekend.

Camara is currently the Formula 2 championship leader.

He leads the F2 standings by seven points over Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov.

Haas had already announced Camara as Ocon’s replacement for the 2027 season.

But the fallout with Ocon has accelerated that timeline by five races.

Camara will now make his Formula 1 debut in front of his home crowd in Brazil.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has outlined the Maranello team’s position on the early call-up.

Brazilian Formula 1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli investigated the situation following the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Cerasoli sought clarification from both Ferrari and Vasseur.

According to Cerasoli, information available to her on Sunday indicated that Haas had not contacted Ferrari about allowing Camara to compete at the São Paulo Grand Prix or any of the subsequent rounds.

Ferrari also confirmed directly to the journalist that no such approach had been received.

Cerasoli explained that Haas would need Ferrari to release Camara from his existing commitments before the Brazilian could race for the American team.

She then questioned Vasseur about whether the Scuderia would consider releasing its young driver early.

Vasseur made it clear that the decision belongs to Haas.

He also emphasized his support for the young Brazilian.

“The decision belongs to Haas,” Vasseur said, according to Cerasoli’s reporting.

He pointed out that Camara first needed to complete his responsibilities within Ferrari’s development programme and his ongoing Formula 2 campaign.

The possibility of Camara racing at Interlagos became particularly interesting because the next race takes place in his home country.

An early promotion would allow the Ferrari Driver Academy youngster to make his Formula 1 debut in front of Brazilian supporters rather than waiting until the beginning of 2027.

Veteran journalist Adam Cooper has reported that Camara is unlikely to return to F2 for the end-of-season races to defend his lead.

“Hearing that Rafael Camara is unlikely to return to F2 for the end-of-season races to defend his lead,” Cooper reported.

This could give Nikola Tsolov a strong chance of claiming the F2 title in Camara’s absence.

Tsolov, a Red Bull junior, is currently seven points behind Camara in the F2 standings.

A title win could work well for the Hungarian driver in his own pursuit of an F1 seat in 2027.

Red Bull has yet to confirm who will drive for Racing Bulls next year.

Camara has no such uncertainty about his F1 future.

Haas has already announced him as Ocon’s replacement for 2027.

But the Ferrari junior will now get into the car five races earlier than originally scheduled.

It remains to be seen if he will drive all the remaining five races in 2026.

The remaining races on the calendar are Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Komatsu has said the team is looking forward to welcoming Camara at the Brazilian GP this weekend.

He explained that he knows how capable the 21-year-old is behind the wheel.

Ocon’s departure marks the end of a brief stint with Haas.

Ocon joined Haas in 2025 to team up with then-rookie driver Oliver Bearman.

He remains the only Grand Prix winner to ever race for Haas, having won the Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine in 2021.

Overall, Ocon scored a total of 45 points for Haas — 38 points in 2025 and 7 in 2026.

His best result for the team was a fifth-place finish.

Ocon is now without a race seat for 2027.

His fans are unlikely to see him behind the wheel of an F1 car anytime soon.