Rafael Câmara has opened up about the learning curve he’s facing, having Ollie Bearman as a teammate, his approach to the race weekend, and his best qualities as a driver as he prepares to drive a 2026 F1 car for the first time at the São Paulo GP, with the Brazilian replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas.
While reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa drove for the American outfit last time out in Mexico City, he is set to compete in the World Endurance Championship season finale at Monza this Sunday. As such, the 32-year-old will step aside for Câmara to make his F1 debut at his home event.
Although Haas had previously confirmed that the Ferrari junior—who currently leads the F2 Championship—will partner with Bearman in 2027, they have brought his first race forward on account of Ocon’s premature exit from the team.
Câmara on his emotions and preparation ahead of F1 debut on home soil
Speaking in a print media session in the lead-up to the 2026 São Paulo GP, Rafael Câmara touched on how it feels to make his F1 debut in front of his home crowd.
“Yeah, I mean I was very surprised. Definitely not the place where all expect to do a debut in Formula 1. But just, yeah, very happy for the opportunity, very grateful as well for the team to put their trust in me this week.
“So yeah, just trying to enjoy the home race and have some fun out there.”
As far as preparation is concerned, the 21-year-old reckoned that simulator work with Ferrari and three hours of practice would allow him to get to grips with the VF-26 and the track.
“I mean, in the end, I still did some sim with Ferrari. So, it was good to have some laps on the sim. Some days before coming to Brazil.
“But yeah, I never drove here, but with this sim session work, I think it should be all right. We have three sessions and then definitely, we can build from this.”
As to whether he started to train his neck a bit more once he became aware of a chance to step up, Câmara revealed that his training regime has remained unchanged.
“No, I don’t think it changed much. Just training with myself, with my trainer, and then make sure that I’ll be prepared for the weekend. So, I think on the routine, nothing has really changed.”
Pressed on when he found out, the Brazilian said, “Quite late, but enough to prepare in a way and be ready for the weekend.”
The upside of having Bearman as teammate and the possibility of sacrificing his F2 title
With regard to Bearman having made a similar late appearance for Haas at Interlagos two years ago and how much he is going to lean on the Brit’s experience to navigate the 2026 São Paulo GP weekend, Rafael Câmara acknowledged that his fellow Ferrari-backed driver is a fantastic benchmark.
“Yeah, I think it would be very good to have Ollie [Bearman]. I mean, Ollie, again last year, he’s been always doing a good job.
“So, it would be someone that would be good to learn [from] and to see what he’s doing so I can, obviously, learn these tracks for myself and try to put in place.”
The 2025 F3 Champion also addressed the possibility of skipping the remaining two F2 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi and revealed whether it would be disappointing to give up the chance of winning the title.
“I think that is something that’s still to come and is still in the future.
“I think, like I said, there will be a lot of things going on this weekend. So, I’m just really trying to focus on the job on this weekend. These will be things that I will speak [about] in the future and see what will happen.”
Câmara’s approach to the 2026 São Paulo GP weekend
Furthermore, Rafael Câmara talked about his approach and expectations for the São Paulo GP weekend. Underlining the steep learning curve ahead, the F2 championship leader, nonetheless, stated that he seeks to revel in the delight of making his F1 debut on his home turf.
“Yeah, I think on my side, I’m just really trying to learn as much as I can. Will be a lot of things going on, but I think on my side, really, I just try to see it as a positive, being just driving at home, something I didn’t do for a long time. So, I’m just really trying to enjoy this weekend and just have some fun.
“Obviously, it will be not easy, but I think what always helped for me is just really focus on my side, focus on my job, and make sure that every time you’re learning and moving forward.”
Asked how difficult it is to deal with the pressure of making his F1 debut in a competitive setting, the Recife native stated that he just intends to focus on his own performance.
“For now, it’s been okay. I think it should be alright.
“Whatever people are thinking or what’s happening outside, it’s never been a real problem. So, I think it should be alright, it should be no problem.
“Like I said, I always try to just focus on my side, focus on things that I can control, and whatever is happening outside is not really in my control. So, I just really try to go there and do whatever I want to do.”
What Câmara believes his best qualities as a driver are ahead of his F1 debut at the São Paulo GP
With respect to how he would characterise himself as a driver and what his strengths and weaknesses are, Rafael Câmara claimed that both his pace over a single lap and that over a race distance are his strongest assets. At the same time, he conceded that he had made some mistakes during his F2 campaign earlier in the year that were avoidable.
“Look, in the past years, qualifying has always been a good point. I think that also in the races, it’s been okay.
“I mean, I’m not very good really in explaining myself or what are my strong points or weak points [are].
“But yeah, just looking at the results, quali has always been a strong point. And also, the racing. I think there were times that this year some mistakes could be avoided. But I think even both quali and race, I think both have been okay for me.”
As he gears up for his first competitive outing in F1 at the São Paulo GP, Câmara also elaborated on what it means to represent a country like Brazil, which has one of the richest and most storied motorsport histories in the world.
“I mean, once I joined F3, where you get more exposed, there was really big support from the fans. And it’s been always nice to see how much they cheer and how much they support you.
“And yeah, I think just being able to do my first race in Formula 1 here in front of everyone would be something very special.
“Of course, I’ll try to give them a nice weekend. But like I said, step by step and just try to live in a good way.”
