F1 / NEWS & CONTEXT

Camara tipped for Haas seat after Ocon’s 2026 exit

Ocon is set to leave Haas after 2026. Three F1 reports favour Rafael Camara for the vacant seat, but the team has yet to name his replacement.

GPBeat · Newsroom01 Oct 2026, 12:23 · 1 min

Lawrence Barretto reported for Formula1.com on 30 September that Esteban Ocon will leave Haas after the 2026 Formula 1 season. Writing for Autosport the same day, Ed Hardy assessed five possible replacements, but Haas has not named a driver for the seat.

Hardy’s five are Rafael Camara, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ryo Hirakawa, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. He considers Camara the likeliest choice. Chris Medland had reported for RACER on 23 September that Camara was the frontrunner, while Barretto also expects him to get the drive. Those assessments point in the same direction, but none is a team announcement.

RACER and Formula1.com both report that Haas has evaluated Camara, Fornaroli, Hirakawa and Jack Doohan in tests using previous cars. Hardy includes the first three in his selection but omits Doohan and adds Tsunoda and Lawson as possible options. His five names are an assessment, not a Haas shortlist.

Haas has not announced its 2027 line-up. Barretto reports that sources expect Oliver Bearman to remain for a third season, leaving the identity of his prospective team-mate open.

Sources 03

SOURCEThe five contenders to replace Ocon at Haas for F1 2027Autosport · Source date as found: 2026-09-30
SOURCEDriver shake-up looming at Haas for 2027 F1 seasonRACER · Source date as found: 2026-09-23
SOURCEANALYSIS: Why Haas have decided to move on from Ocon – and where he goes from hereFormula1.com · Source date as found: 2026-09-30

Source context

Autosport’s five-driver selection is Ed Hardy’s analysis. RACER’s 23 September report predates the reports of Ocon’s departure.

Claims and supporting evidence 6

Autosport and Formula1.com reported on 30 September that Esteban Ocon would leave Haas after the 2026 season. Chris Medland’s earlier RACER report, dated 23 September, established only that Ocon described himself as a free agent for 2027; it should not be treated as a contemporaneous confirmation of the later departure news.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Ocon’s departure and the timing of the reports 23–30 September 2026; departure after the 2026 season Formula1.com’s correspondent calls the departure official, but the retrieved article is an analysis rather than a reproduced Haas announcement.

[3][2]

In his 30 September Autosport analysis, Ed Hardy discusses Leonardo Fornaroli, Ryo Hirakawa, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Rafael Camara as five possible replacements alongside Oliver Bearman. Hardy explicitly says the replacement is unconfirmed. These are his analytical selections, not an announced five-driver Haas shortlist.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Ed Hardy’s selection of possible replacements 30 September 2026; prospective 2027 season The five names are supported by Autosport’s article headings and framing; the retrieved reports do not establish that Haas itself selected these five.

[1]

Medland at RACER and Lawrence Barretto in his Formula1.com analysis both report Haas evaluation runs involving Hirakawa, Jack Doohan, Fornaroli and Camara. Hardy includes three of those four in his five-driver Autosport selection but omits Doohan and adds Tsunoda and Lawson. The differing selections do not establish that Doohan has been ruled out.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Agreement and difference between reports on Haas’s evaluations Reports of 23 and 30 September 2026 concerning 2027 The reports describe evaluations; they do not provide a definitive or exhaustive list of drivers under consideration.

[2][3]

The three read publications converge on Rafael Camara as the favourite, but with distinct attribution: RACER says it understands he is the frontrunner; Hardy gives his assessment in Autosport; and Barretto says on Formula1.com that Camara is expected to get the seat. Their agreement supports reporting a shared expectation, not an appointment.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Camara’s reported position in the replacement discussion 23–30 September 2026; prospective 2027 seat RACER’s earlier report expressly says no final decision had been made. None of the retrieved articles announces Camara as a Haas race driver.

[2][1][3]

Hardy’s discussion of Tsunoda and Lawson is conditional rather than a report that Haas has tested or approached either driver. He identifies Tsunoda’s Honda affiliation as a possible obstacle and considers Lawson more likely to stay where he is for 2027.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Limits of the Tsunoda and Lawson possibilities 30 September 2026; prospective 2027 season Neither of the other two retrieved articles names Tsunoda or Lawson among the drivers Haas evaluated. Their omission is not proof that Haas would exclude them.

[1]

Barretto reports that Haas has not announced its 2027 plans and attributes the expectation that Bearman will remain to sources. Autosport’s discussion likewise assumes a seat alongside Bearman, but that does not turn his 2027 continuation into an announced team decision.

This source finding must be read within the stated scope and source context. Bearman’s prospective place in the 2027 line-up 30 September 2026; prospective 2027 season The retrieved sources do not include a Haas announcement of its complete 2027 driver line-up.

[3][1]

This article was produced with AI assistance. Source references make its supporting evidence traceable.