Rafael Camara could make his Formula 1 debut a year early, and at his home race. The Ferrari junior is in line to replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the 2026 F1 season, which would put him in the Haas at Interlagos next weekend.

While no official decision has been made regarding the driver lineup beyond this weekend's race. GPblog has already reported that Ocon's Haas career is over. That leaves the team with an open seat for the São Paulo Grand Prix, which runs from 6 to 8 November.

Camara already has a Brazil weekend planned

Camara would not be heading to Interlagos just to watch in any case and he was scheduled to carry out FP1 duties for Ferrari in next weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. He also has no Formula 2 race that weekend. The 21-year-old has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2021. Haas announced in mid-October that he would replace Ocon from 2027 on a multi-year deal.

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu said at the time that Camara won the seat on pace in a shoot-out that also included Jack Doohan, Ryo Hirakawa and Leonardo Fornaroli. "He [Camara] was the quickest, very simple answer," Komatsu told reporters.

Doohan could replace Ocon for a second time

The second option is already on the payroll. Doohan joined Haas as a reserve at the start of 2026 after leaving Alpine. The Aussie is one of the reserve options available to Haas. It would be a strange repeat: at the end of 2024, the Australian took Ocon's Alpine seat for the Abu Dhabi finale.

Doohan was also the driver who lost out to Camara for 2027. Back then, Komatsu called his future with the team "still up in the air," but said the door remained open for him to stay on as a reserve. He was not an option in Mexico, because with only Hirakawa on the ground in Mexico, Doohan was not a factor in the decision.

Hirakawa's WEC commitments complicate the picture

The third option being discussed involves Hirakawa who could stay in the car for the rest of the year and that Jack Doohan will take over reserve driver duties from Brazil onwards. That is hard to square with the calendar as Hirakawa has a Toyota commitment in the World Endurance Championship, and the final round clashes with the São Paulo GP.

Whoever gets the seat will also need the stewards to sign off. Any driver change for Interlagos would need the same FIA consent. Haas is expected to announce its decision once the Mexico City weekend is over.