Esteban Ocon will no longer race for Haas, as the official announcement of his departure from the team has been published. Rafael Camara will take his seat in Brazil to make his F1 debut.
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| Photo by: Haas F1 Team |
The previous race weekend in Mexico was quite chaotic for the Haas team, as Esteban Ocon was dropped from the line-up before the third free practice session. His racing duties for the remainder of the weekend were handed to Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa.
The experienced endurance racing driver, who even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota in the past, replaced Ocon in the best possible way, scoring a championship point after several drivers ahead of him were given time penalties.
Despite his great race in Mexico, he will not be able to take part in the following race in Brazil, as he is needed in Monza, where the final round of the World Endurance Championship will be held. He is also still in contention for the championship title. This means that Rafael Camara, who has already been confirmed as a Haas driver for next season, will make his debut earlier than expected, as he will get behind the wheel of the VF-26 in São Paulo this weekend.
Rafael Camara is not just an ordinary driver, as he is currently leading the Formula 2 standings. The young Brazilian driver has also completed five TPC tests this season, driving both the Ferrari SF-25 and the VF-25, so he already has some experience with F1 cars. However, the pressure on him will be immense, as he will be racing on home soil.
"Looking ahead, we've chosen Rafael Camara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the São Paulo Grand Prix," Komatsu confirmed.
"Having excelled in his TPC outing in August, we know Rafael's capabilities and we're looking forward to welcoming him into the team this weekend and working with him through his Formula 1 debut driving the VF-26 in Brazil."
It is still unclear whether we will see Hirakawa or Camara in the remaining races this season, as the Brazilian has only been confirmed for this weekend's race.
However, team principal Ayao Komatsu also spoke about Esteban Ocon:
"We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with TGR Haas F1 Team this season.
"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. 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."