Dry practice gives way to wet qualifying
Rafael Camara finished his Formula 1 debut in 20th place at the São Paulo Grand Prix on November 8. The Brazilian, already signed by Haas for 2027, stepped in early for a home weekend spanning dry practice, wet qualifying and changing race conditions.
Haas gave Camara the opportunity after deciding not to field Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the season. Three dry practice sessions helped him learn the VF-26, before rain and red flags complicated qualifying.
He hit the barriers in the first part of qualifying (Q1) and returned with a damaged front wing, then went back out and reached the second part (Q2). At the end of that session, a lock-up sent him into the barriers again. He said he had tried to make the final corner but could not recover the situation, acknowledging disappointment with his mistakes while seeing positives in the session.
Learning through the changing conditions
Rain returned on Sunday. Camara lost ground at the start and slid wide during the race, but reached the finish. He experienced the track drying, the switch from Intermediates to slicks and the return to Intermediates when rain came back. Slicks suit dry conditions, with the crossover depending on available grip.
Camara said staying on track had been the initial priority and admitted making mistakes. He took encouragement from avoiding damage and learning extensively, while remaining dissatisfied with the finish and identifying work to review with the team.
Speed needs consistent delivery
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu praised Camara for completing the race in difficult circumstances. He said the speed was there, with consistency and delivery the next steps. Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur also praised his qualifying pace, describing a cold, wet home debut with changing tyre requirements as an exceptionally difficult introduction.
Ollie Bearman started inside the top 10 in the other Haas and finished 17th after a slow stop. Both cars lost ground in the race, while Audi closed to within three points of Haas in the constructors’ standings.
