Curiosity: Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara (Haas) has never raced in Brazil

Brazil is set to have another Grand Prix driver. The US-based Haas team had already planned to field the two Ferrari protégés, Oliver Bearman (returning) and Rafael Câmara (new), for the 2027 season; following the departure of Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon, Câmara’s debut has been brought forward.

This also means that, for the upcoming World Championship round, Brazil will once again have two drivers on the Formula 1 grid for the first time in ten years. In 2016, they were Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr; now they are Gabriel Bortoleto and Câmara.

Rafael ‘Rafa’ Chaves Câmara was born on 5 May 2005 in Recife (on the east coast of Brazil), the son of a lawyer (Amaro Câmara) and a businesswoman (Paul Chaves).

Fun fact: Niége Rossiter, Câmara’s maternal grandmother, is regarded in Brazil as a motorsport pioneer – she was the first female racing driver in the state of Pernambuco in the 1960s!

Rafa worked his way up through the traditional racing ranks: he started karting at the age of six and spent eleven years in the sport, winning virtually every regional and national title. In 2019, he finished runner-up in the World Championship in Finland behind the Dutchman Thomas ten Brinke.

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In 2022, Câmara made the move to car racing; that same year, Ferrari accepted him into its development programme, the ‘Ferrari Academy’ (funny enough, at the same time as his current Haas team-mate Oliver Bearman).

Rafa’s talent was evident: he finished second in the 2022 Formula 4 Championship in the United Arab Emirates, and third in the Italian and German F4 championships. In 2023, he moved up to Formula Regional, finishing third overall (Middle East) and fifth overall in Europe.

In 2024, Rafa really stepped up a gear: European Formula Regional champion; in 2025, he became Formula 3 champion straight away; and in 2026, he leads the Formula 2 championship (with three wins, five pole positions, six fastest race laps and seven podium finishes).

Câmara stands out in his races thanks to an outstanding blend of aggression and racing intelligence. He has won numerous races, not because he was faster than any other driver on the grid, but because he raced more cleverly.

Now, then, comes his debut in the premier class at Interlagos. Câmara, who wears glasses, says: “I’m over the moon – it’s a very special weekend for me. Of course, there’s a huge buzz when you’re driving your first Grand Prix in front of your home crowd of all places, but I want to be able to enjoy it too.”

Rafa reveals: “I’ve never driven a car race at Interlagos before! The last race I drove in Brazil was a kart race.”

“The build-up was a bit strange. When the news came through that I’d be driving my first Grand Prix, I was already in Brazil, but I’d previously had the chance to drive the Interlagos circuit virtually in the Ferrari simulator.”

“Luckily, we don’t have Interlagos as a sprint weekend this year! The usual schedule with the three free practice sessions will make it easier for me to get used to the 2026 car. After all, I’ve only driven last year’s car before.”

“My aim is to learn as much as possible. I know there’s a lot coming my way; I’ll have to take a lot in, in a short space of time. But I also want to make an effort to enjoy this first Grand Prix weekend.”