Camara reflects on 'very special' first F1 outing as he gears up for Haas debut in Sao Paulo

Rafael Camara has reflected on a “very special” first taste of Formula 1 action with the Haas rookie making his debut at home earlier than expected.

Following confirmation earlier this week that Esteban Ocon would no longer compete for the US outfit for the rest of 2026, the 21-year-old Brazilian – who had already been signed to race for the team in 2027 – stepped up to race for Haas at this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

With plenty of eyes on him at his home event, Camara was positive about his first day behind the wheel – especially given it was a track he had never driven at before – as he recorded P18 and P16 finishes in FP1 and FP2 respectively.

“It’s been a very nice weekend, very special,” said Camara. “Going into FP1, it was getting a bit more emotional. You can see the crowd in front of you and everyone’s just so excited.

“Once you get in the car and start driving, you just focus on your own thing. It’s the normal thing you’ve been doing all your life.

"It’s been a very nice weekend, a lot of things going on, but so far I think it’s been a good two sessions. We’re able to learn a lot and just keep improving through the day.”

Camara also acknowledged the challenge of adapting to the current generation of F1 machinery. While he has completed TPC (Testing of Previous Car) tests with both Haas and Ferrari, today marked his first outing in a 2026 Formula 1 car.

“Once you get in the car, it’s a completely different thing,” he explained. “In a way, you get different feelings. It’s quite difficult to simulate the real car.

“There were a lot of things to learn, a lot to adapt [to], and to process. As for tomorrow, it will be good tonight to just sit back, realise everything, understand more things and put things in place for tomorrow.”

His first day of running, however, didn’t pass without incident with the Brazilian reprimanded over an impeding moment with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. With the Monegasque on a flying lap, he was forced to take evasive action towards the wall at Turn 15 as the inexperienced Camara moved across.

“While the typical penalty for impeding in a Free Practice session is a warning, in this instance, we are of the view that a reprimand is warranted,” read the stewards’ document as they cited the situation that had been created was “clearly dangerous”.

Asked about the incident, Haas’ Head Of Car Engineering, Hoagy Nidd explained: “He’s full throttle. He’s starting a lap. He can’t really move any further to the right in the end, but it’s just one of those things. He’s absolutely flat out at that point.”