Câmara’s Haas deal could put two Brazilians on the 2027 F1 grid

Haas has agreed to sign Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara for 2027, a move that could give Brazil two Formula 1 drivers on the grid for the first time in well over a decade. If he takes his place, he will be the country’s 34th F1 competitor and join Gabriel Bortoleto.

The 21-year-old is set to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas alongside Oliver Bearman. The deal was understood to have been finalised during the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, when Haas and Ferrari reached agreement on terms. Câmara also has commercial backing from Transpetro, a Brazilian state transport and logistics firm; RacingNews365 says that support sat alongside his Ferrari ties in Haas’s decision-making.

Brazil’s first F1 starter was Chico Landi, who made six Grand Prix appearances with Ferrari and Maserati between 1951 and 1956. Thirty-two Brazilians followed him onto the grid. The country’s most successful eras came through Emerson Fittipaldi, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna, who combined for eight drivers’ titles across three decades.

Later generations kept Brazil represented without matching those title successes. Rubens Barrichello spent years as Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari team-mate and finished runner-up in the championship twice; Felipe Massa came within one point of the 2008 title. Massa’s retirement at the end of 2017 left Brazil without a full-time representative. Pietro Fittipaldi made substitute appearances in 2020 before Bortoleto restored the country’s regular presence on the grid.

Brazil’s junior ladder has also regained a domestic step. The collapse of regional junior categories left young karters without a home-grown stepping stone before moving to Europe. Launched in 2022, the FIA-certified F4 Brazilian Championship offers a national route and Super Licence points before a move abroad.