Rafael Camara is joining the F1 grid in 2027 and Will Buxton is extremely optimistic about Haas’ latest recruit.

Haas had a handful of options to fill Esteban Ocon’s race seat in 2027 and they confirmed that Rafael Camara has been signed after he impressed in testing.

It has already been floated that Camara could replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari in the future if he impresses at Haas, and that speaks volumes about the level of excitement around the young Brazilian.

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Will Buxton is extremely excited by Rafael Camara

Camara has already gone wheel-to-wheel with Kimi Antonelli as his teammate, and there are already comparisons drawn to Max Verstappen.

There is clearly a lot of anticipation and pressure on Camara, and Will Buxton has gone as far as suggesting he is F1’s best rookie since Charles Leclerc.

Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast, Buxton said: “I haven’t been this optimistic and impressed by someone who has jumped from F3 and F2 since, I’m going back to the Charles Leclerc era in 2016 or 2017.

“I think, if we look back at recent history at Fornaroli and Bortoleto, I think he’s head and shoulders above both of them in terms of his raw ability, certainly his raw pace.

“Five pole positions this year, seven podiums, three wins. The statistics are only statistics, and you can make up any argument you want on the basis of statistics. 

“But it’s more what people say about him and how impressed they are with his work ethic. With his intelligence, with his technical feedback, with his ability to extract lap time from the car and from himself, his tyre usage, his knowledge, his feel, his touch and his ability to keep the tyres in the window.

“All these things point to me at being someone who can fully embrace what modern-day Formula 1 is all about. He has that intelligence mixed with racecraft mixed with outright pace.”

Leclerc has laid a path for other Ferrari junior drivers to follow. He made his F1 debut with Sauber, a Ferrari customer team.

Eventually, Leclerc earned his shot at the senior Ferrari seat and he is now chasing a championship with the Italian outfit to end their 19-year drought.

Camara has an opportunity to follow a similar path: Enter the F1 grid with a Ferrari customer and challenge for a Ferrari race seat.

However, his biggest competition is his teammate at Haas, Oliver Bearman, who is a fellow Ferrari junior driver and a tipped replacement for Hamilton.

Their battle in 2027 will be one to keep a close eye on.