Brazilian driver Rafael Camara is fighting for an F2 championship in 2026 and a coveted F1 seat in 2027.
In just his rookie season in Formula 2, the 21-year-old Rafael Camara has emerged as a title contender for Invicta Racing. He secured his first FIA Formula 2 victory in Barcelona, then won the Spa feature race from pole position.
The rookie F2 driver has now accumulated 145 points, trailing current second-placer Gabriele Mini by two points and leader Nikola Tsolov by 22 points.
But the F2 championship might not be the only battle that the young Camara is fighting this year.
Camara's name has been floated around as a potential Formula 1 driver in 2027. Rumors have it that Haas will seriously consider Camara to possibly replace Esteban Ocon's seat for next year. The Brazilian has since played down these rumors, saying that he's focusing on winning the F2 championship.
Still, don't be surprised if we see Camara on the F1 grid in 2027, especially with him earning the attention of multiple teams.
Haas and Cadillac could be after Camara's services
Since joining the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022, Camara has been on the Prancing Horse's pipeline. He might not be getting a direct path to Ferrari just yet, but he could take a similar road to Charles Leclerc's or Ollie Bearman's.
Both Leclerc and Bearman were part of the Ferrari Driving Academy, with the former spending one year at Sauber before moving up to Ferrari. Meanwhile, Bearman is currently driving for Haas, a team that gets their power units, gearbox, and other mechanical parts from Ferrari.
A Haas seat presents the strongest F1 link for Camara, at least for now.
But Cadillac could come calling. Per Motorsport, the US-based F1 team is "closely monitoring" Camara for a potential call-up next year. It might make sense, considering the recent rumors of current Cadillac driver Sergio Perez engaging in talks with Williams Racing.
Of course, Camara has some fierce competition, with the likes of Leonardo Fornaroli and Yuki Tsunoda aiming for a Haas seat.
But does Camara deserve a shot at F1 early in his career? Definitely.
Rafael Camara's incredible Formula 3 run
In 2025, Camara competed for Trident, teaming up with Charlie Wurz and Noah Stromsted. As a rookie, Camara took five pole positions and won four races. He totalled 166 points, beating Tsolov and Mari Boya to take the 2025 F3 Championship.
Oh, and in his first F3 race, Camara took the pole and Feature Race victory in Melbourne.
He deserves a shot at Formula One, for sure.
