Esteban Ocon will no longer race for Haas after being dismissed prematurely following his mid-weekend shock in Mexico, with 2027 driver Rafael Camara making his Formula 1 debut in Brazil this week.
That’s how we feel about Ocon’s fate, the Haas fallout and the decision to put Camara in the car at his home race in place of points-scoring Mexican debutant Ryo Hirakawa.
Baptism of fire for Camara
Josh Suttill
I think Haas made the right choice in giving Camara his early F1 debut – but it’s going to be one hell of a baptism of fire.
Camara has yet to do FP1, so this will be his F1 weekend debut.
He’s driven for Haas and Ferrari in private testing, so he’s not arriving completely cold, but the pressure of a race weekend is very different – and this will be his first taste of the 2026 machines in real life given these tests took place on old cars.
And to top it off: it’s Camara’s home race.
Gabriel Bortoleto, who was having a solid rookie season, really struggled under the weight of that pressure last year.
Oh, and There is currently a lot of rain forecast for the weekend.
So it’s an extremely difficult set of circumstances in which to make your debut.
But Haas chose Camara for 2027 for very good reasons. His adaptability and natural feel for conditions that allow him to instantly generate speed – as he did in the Portimao ‘shootout’ that won him the seat – could help him overcome it all this weekend.
This is extremely embarrassing for Haas
Scott Mitchell Malm
Even if on a personal level I love Ocon and find it very sad that it has come to this, I never had the impression that his fate aroused the support of a majority within public opinion.
I have now seen more and more extreme and inaccurate assumptions or statements made in support of him and as criticism of Haas, which I feel compelled to challenge even at the risk of being seen as a Haas sympathizer.
It didn’t do a good enough job for Ocon in his two years with the team, but I don’t think Haas left him out to dry. He dismissed Ocon’s complaints about inconsistencies or discrepancies in the cars’ performance because they did not exist in the data. This year the problems are different and Haas can see the problems he hasn’t been able to solve.
All the reasons the Ocon-Haas relationship fell apart
The narrative I really can’t support, however, is that Haas is conveniently manipulating everything that happened in Mexico, to quickly cash in on paying drivers. This is utterly embarrassing for Haas.
If money is the priority here, it doesn’t make sense to park Ocon by paying him or leaving the team vulnerable to lawsuits for breach of contract – AND at the same time hurt his chances of sealing a multi-million dollar championship position by chopping and changing who’s in the second car.
Hirakawa did well in Mexico but the point he scored was very fortunate. And Camara could be a very good F1 driver – I think he’s a great wildcard option for next year – but he sorely lacks the kind of preparation needed and the knowledge of Haas’ F1 car needed to come in and immediately be an upgrade on Ocon this season.
I simply can’t imagine a scenario in which this would happen for any reason other than Haas and team principal Ayao Komatsu feeling that their hand has been forced, and that the best short and long term play for the contending team is to simply get rid of Ocon and start fresh as soon as possible.
Better to give a young driver a chance
Gary Anderson
I have always been a fan of young drivers and I give them a chance. Ocon got his and yes, he won a race (hopefully), but overall his performances weren’t impressive. His relationship on the track with one of his teammates was questionable and his attitude after learning that he was replaced only confirmed it.
Saying “I deserve to be in F1” is an important statement: no one “deserves” to be in F1; performance and potential should get you there and keep you there, but whatever his situation, his verbal altercation with his team over tire allocation during testing in Mexico was just the nail in the coffin.
Fortunately, over the last few seasons we have seen a lot of new drivers: Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman, Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad and Kimi Antonelli to name a few. Yes, unsurprisingly some struggled in the first season and Antonelli is a prime example of that, but he proved his potential by convincingly winning the world championship this year.
Camara is the next to add to this list. Giving him an early start to prepare him for the 2027 season is a positive move. He can learn about the intricacies of an F1 race weekend and then have the winter to digest the situation and I’m sure that will put him in a better position in terms of preparation.
He needs to learn from other rookie drivers and their first seasons and use that as an example that Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Most importantly, do your best not to pull an Antonelli when he threw it into the barrier at Monza in his first appearance as a rookie in FP1! Just fit in and if Haas can provide the required car, then the sky is the limit – as Kimi just proved in 2026.
Ocon didn’t handle the release well enough
Jack Cozens
We’re missing crucial details, but of those that were provided, Haas acted with the utmost professionalism throughout it all.
It’s very easy for a team releasing such news to gain moral ground by extension, but it’s clear from Haas’ statement and Komatsu’s words that they had to deliberate long and hard over the outcome of Ocon’s early release.
If the comparison with the (very) amateur sport allows it, one thing that has always impressed me beyond belief is the way F1 drivers are able to stay in the heat of the action and immediately afterwards.
Imagine, if you will, advancing to the penalty box in a football match, just to be dragged down, one-on-one, and your opposing player not being booked; the next thing you want to do is criticize said opponent – or at the very least call out the injustice.
The comparison is not meant to serve as a perfect like-for-like retaliation in this scenario, but it is drawn up to illustrate the level of frustration, in such high-stakes situations, that reigns in the cockpit and that drivers somehow manage to withstand without reaction. Often, for the greater good of those they represent.
Ocon’s radio message Friday in Mexico made for deeply uncomfortable listening. Yes, he is a driver fighting for his individual livelihood. But he remains a representative of the team he works for. Forced to leave your job or looking to leave it, you need to give the best possible impression to all potential employers.
What turned out to be Ocon’s final weeks didn’t have enough of that to be a lifeline and prevent what could be the end of his F1 career. This seems much more likely to be a definitive end – in a really sad way, given what has been accomplished.
Haas has a big balancing act
Jack Benyon
Haas must manage this dynamic very carefully.
Camara arrives in F1 at an absolutely crucial time. Lewis Hamilton has caused a logjam in Ferrari’s driver graduation program and said he believes he can race into the 2030s.
If he does, it will seem like a very long time since Bearman made his debut in 2024 and that appears to be Ferrari’s bright future.
What Haas needs to do is stop the Haas F1 team from going down to the team “that will replace Lewis Hamilton”.
Camara will have confidence in his own abilities and believe he is good enough to race for Ferrari, as he should be.
Bearman will feel like he’s earned the seat next to Leclerc at Ferrari, and probably won’t take kindly to someone trying to seize the opportunity.
Maybe they take this common goal and work harmoniously for the good of the team. But there’s no denying, on paper, that this is a risky alignment with huge implications. The team must contain the desperation, determination and ego involved in supporting Haas’ success as much as these young drivers.
Gn sports
