Esteban Ocon finally out at Haas: F1 debut for Rafael Camara in Brazil

Esteban Ocon will not be returning to the Haas Formula 1 cockpit: Rafael Camara is set to make his early debut in Brazil

Esteban Ocon no longer has a future at Haas and will not be racing for the American team again. The team announced this on Tuesday evening ahead of the Formula 1 race in Brazil. This means that the second free practice session in Mexico will have been the Frenchman’s final outing.

“We have now informed Esteban Ocon that he will not be returning to the Haas team’s race car this season,” confirmed team principal Ayao Komatsu. “Decisions like this are never taken lightly – as was the case in Mexico City – but then as now, we are convinced that this is in the best interests of the team’s future development.”

Haas had dropped Ocon from the line-up on Saturday ahead of the third free practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, bringing in reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa to make his Formula 1 debut instead. The Japanese driver had originally finished in 13th place, but following time penalties for three other drivers, he ultimately took a point from Mexico, finishing in tenth place.

Haas: Ocon’s exclusion remains an “internal matter”

Haas had remained silent on the reasons for Ocon’s exclusion, merely emphasising that he was not ill. It is known that there were disagreements on Friday regarding tyre choice in practice – including a minor radio dispute with his race engineer, Laura Müller.

Rumours of a row between Ocon and Komatsu quickly began to circulate, but Ocon denied in a statement that any physical violence had taken place.

Komatsu himself emphasised on Tuesday: “The discussions that ultimately took place between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the confidential nature of discussions behind closed doors.”

The Esteban Ocon chapter is thus closed at Haas, whilst the Rafael Camara chapter is beginning ahead of schedule. This is because the Brazilian, who is set to become a regular driver for the team next year, will make his Formula 1 debut this weekend at his home race in São Paulo.

Formula 1 debut for Rafael Camara

“Looking to the future, we have chosen Rafael Camara, who will contest the São Paulo Grand Prix alongside Ollie Bearman,” confirms team principal Komatsu. “Having seen Rafa deliver outstanding performances during his TPC outing in August, we are well aware of his capabilities.”

“We look forward to welcoming him to the team this weekend and working closely with him as he makes his debut behind the wheel of the VF-26 in Brazil.”

Camara, who is currently leading the Formula 2 championship, gained his first experience with Haas in Portugal in August, when he drove a VF-25 at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão. He impressed Haas so much on that occasion that he was signed as a regular driver for 2027.

Races after Brazil still to be confirmed

This move makes perfect sense, as Ryo Hirakawa is competing this weekend in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), where the season finale is taking place at Monza. Together with his Toyota team-mates Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, he has a good chance of securing the world title there, which is why he has decided against another outing for Haas.

Camara has only been confirmed for the race in Brazil. It remains to be seen who will take Ocon’s former seat afterwards. The final two Formula 2 races are scheduled for Qatar and Abu Dhabi, where Camara will be battling it out for the title against Red Bull Junior Nikola Tsolov and Alexander Dunne – that is likely to take priority.

It is quite possible that Hirakawa will be back in the car by then – or former Alpine driver Jack Doohan. One person it certainly won’t be is Esteban Ocon. Their paths have parted for good.