Camara reflects on his first Haas F1 outing: ‘It was very special’

Rafael Camara described his first Formula 1 outing as “very special” after stepping into a Haas for his home São Paulo Grand Prix debut, brought forward from his planned 2027 race seat. The 21-year-old Brazilian finished 18th in FP1 and 16th in FP2 on a circuit he had not driven before.

Camara was already set to join the team next season, but was called up after Haas confirmed earlier in the week that Esteban Ocon would not race for the outfit for the rest of 2026. His promotion to the race line-up came earlier than expected; Haas had previously confirmed his 2027 debut.

Camara found focus amid the home crowd

The Brazilian said the emotion of the occasion became more pronounced before the first practice session, with the crowd in view. Once driving, however, he was able to concentrate on the task at hand.

He viewed the opening day as productive, saying the team had learned a lot across the two sessions and made progress. The weekend has brought plenty to take in, but his immediate priority is to review the experience and prepare for the next day of running.

Camara has completed Testing of Previous Car outings with both Haas and Ferrari, but Friday marked his first time in a 2026 Formula 1 car. He said those tests could not fully reproduce the feel of the current machinery, leaving him with new systems and sensations to absorb. He planned to use the evening to process what he had learned and put the details in order.

Impeding incident brings a reprimand

His first day was not entirely trouble-free. Camara was reprimanded after impeding Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at Turn 15 while the Monegasque was on a flying lap. Leclerc had to take evasive action towards the wall.

The stewards said a reprimand was warranted rather than the warning typically issued for impeding in practice, describing the situation as clearly dangerous. Haas Head of Car Engineering Hoagy Nidd said Camara was flat out and starting a lap, with little room to move farther right.

The incident was a sharp lesson on a weekend already demanding a rapid adjustment to unfamiliar machinery and a new circuit. Camara’s home-race debut now gives him the rest of the event to build on the information gathered in Friday practice.