Rafael Camara did not secure the seat at Haas because of his connection to Ferrari, but simply because he was the fastest at the Portimão shootout
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu explains why the team opted for Rafael Camara over candidates such as Leonardo Fornaroli and Ryo Hirakawa when selecting its drivers for 2027. The Brazilian’s pace and his ability to handle changing conditions during tests with older Formula 1 cars were the deciding factors.
As part of the so-called TPC programme featuring the 2025 car, Haas put not only the current Formula 2 championship leader but also the reigning Formula 2 champion Fornaroli, Toyota WEC driver Hirakawa and reserve driver Jack Doohan behind the wheel. Camara made a strong impression right from his first outing at Portimão.
“He was the fastest – that’s the simple answer,” says Komatsu. “He was definitely impressive.”
Although the link to Ferrari – whose junior academy Camara belongs to – enabled Haas to gain access to the Brazilian, it played no part in the decision itself. For Komatsu, it was performance on the track alone that counted.
“I’ve always said that we select drivers based on performance. And during these evaluations, Rafa simply demonstrated incredible speed and a fantastic feel for the car. That was the absolutely dominant factor above all else.”
The partnership with Ferrari is, above all, an opportunity to get to know talented drivers. In 2023, for example, Haas fielded Oliver Bearman for the first time in the first free practice session in Mexico and were so impressed by him that further practice sessions followed. In 2025, Bearman was finally given a permanent seat.
“And it was exactly the same with Rafa. We’ve been monitoring his development. What he’s shown in qualifying this year, as in Monaco and Montreal, has been truly impressive,” explains Komatsu. “So the relationship with Ferrari has given us the opportunity to have access to Rafa, so to speak. And at the TPC test in Portimão, he was simply outstanding.”
Camara’s feel for the car tipped the balance
Komatsu does see room for improvement in Camara’s understanding of the race and tyre management. However, these aspects could be improved through joint effort. It’s a different story when it comes to natural pace and a feel for the car.
“Of course, every decision you make carries certain risks. But for me it was clear: we wanted someone who brings that natural pace and that feel to the table, because you can’t teach that to someone,” says the Haas team principal.
Camara demonstrated these qualities particularly well during the tests: “The feel he has was abundantly clear during the test at Portimão, because the track conditions were constantly changing: track temperature, wind conditions. On top of that, we also had a problem with tyre vibrations,” reports Komatsu.
“He handled all these fluctuations and difficulties he faced extremely well, very calmly and professionally. All in all, it was a clear-cut decision for us.”
According to Komatsu, it is currently unclear whether Camara will feature in a free practice session before the end of the season.
Haas aims to learn from Bearman’s development
As he prepares for his Formula 1 career, Camara is also set to benefit from the experience Haas has gained with Bearman. However, there is no finalised programme as yet: unlike with Bearman, whom the team was able to observe during several practice sessions before he secured his regular seat, Haas is not yet as familiar with Camara.
“It’s a different situation to Ollie, whom we had the opportunity to observe throughout the year during several FT1 sessions. We don’t know Rafa as well yet as we knew Ollie before his first full season,” explains Komatsu. “It’s exciting, but we simply have to see who we’re dealing with.”
The initial focus is on understanding Camara’s personality and working style: what helps him, what does he respond to particularly well, and where does he need support? Komatsu therefore expects a learning process for both sides.
“But we draw a great deal of confidence and lessons from how we worked with Ollie during his rookie season and this year to jointly develop his talent and consistency,” he says.
The experience gained so far will therefore be incorporated into the work with Camara. However, Komatsu does not believe it makes sense to apply the Bearman programme directly: “We will incorporate all the experience we’ve recently gained with Ollie into our work with Rafa. But first and foremost, we need to understand Rafael Camara as an individual. He may also be a rookie, but the two have different personalities.”
