Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has revealed the key factors behind the American outfit’s decision to promote Brazilian prospect Rafael Camara to Formula 1 in 2027, underscoring one quality in particular that set the 21-year-old apart from a competitive field of candidates.
Speed was the obvious starting point. But it was Camara’s ability to adapt instinctively to changing conditions, remain composed under pressure and extract performance from a car in less-than-ideal circumstances that ultimately convinced Haas it had found its man.
The team put several potential recruits through their paces in its Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme, using its 2025 machinery to evaluate Camara: reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, Japanese reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa and Jack Doohan.
The verdict, according to Komatsu, was clear-cut.
“He was the quickest, that's a very simple answer,” the Haas boss told the media on Thursday. “Definitely, he was impressive.
“I always said we're going to choose drivers by performance. And then through those evaluations, Rafa just showed incredible speed and feel. So that was the fully overriding factor above everything else.”
Haas has a close working relationship with Ferrari, which gave the team access to Camara through the Scuderia’s driver academy. However, Komatsu was adamant that the Brazilian’s selection was driven by merit rather than any obligation to Ferrari.
The partnership has already proved fruitful, with fellow Ferrari Driver Academy member Oliver Bearman earning his own promotion to F1 for 2025 after impressing during his FP1 outings with Haas, not to mention his remarkable one-off F1 race debut with the Scuderia in Saudia Arabia in 2024.
“When we had Oli in the Mexico FP1 [in 2023], that was largely because of that,” Komatsu explained.
“Then we were really impressed, so we got him to do six FP1s in the following year. Then we had a chance to sign him for '25 last year. And then Rafa was the same. We are watching his progress.
“And then his qualifying like Monaco and Montreal [in Formula 2], what he's done this year, was really impressive. So having that relationship with Ferrari gave us the chance to, let's say, have access to Rafa. And then in the Portimao TPC test, he was just simply outstanding.”
Camara’s performance at the Portuguese circuit proved decisive.
With track temperatures, wind conditions and grip levels fluctuating throughout the test, the Brazilian demonstrated the kind of adaptability Haas believes will be invaluable when he steps into the unforgiving environment of Formula 1.
Komatsu acknowledged that Camara still has areas to address, particularly in the heat of wheel-to-wheel competition. But the team principal believes those shortcomings are far easier to tackle than a lack of natural speed or feel.
“I really don't have huge concerns,” he added. “Of course, there's risks involved in everything in whatever the decision you take. But for me, we really wanted to go for someone who's got this natural speed and feeling, because that's something you cannot teach.
“If you look at some of the F2 races, sometimes he races very well, good tyre management, but sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes his, let's say, race craft can be improved.
“But those things, I believe, we can work together to improve. But we cannot teach feeling. And the feeling he's got, that was very, very clear in Portimao testing because the track condition was always changing. Track temperature, wind condition. On top of that, we had some issue with tyre vibration as well.
“All the variations and difficulties thrown at him. He really judged it very, very well in a very calm manner, professional manner. So overall, that was a clear choice for us.”
The decision now shifts the focus towards preparing Camara for the step up, with Haas keen to build a programme that suits his individual strengths rather than simply replicate the approach taken with Bearman.
Whether the Brazilian will get an FP1 outing before the end of the current season remains undecided. Komatsu confirmed that the possibility was still “TBC”, leaving the team room to determine the best course of action as preparations progress.
Bearman benefited from multiple Friday practice appearances before his promotion, allowing Haas to assess his development well ahead of his rookie campaign.
Camara's situation is different, however, and the team first needs to establish a clear understanding of its latest recruit.
“It's a different situation, where we had access to Ollie throughout the year via multiple FP1 sessions,” said Komatsu.
“We don't know Rafa as well as we knew Ollie before we go into the full season. It's exciting, but I think we just got to look at who's in front of us.
“We need to understand who Rafa Camara is, what makes it work for him, what kind of things he strives on, what kind of things we need to watch out for. I think it's going to be a learning process for both of us.
“But we take every learning and huge confidence from how we've been working with Ollie throughout his rookie season and this year to develop his talent, develop his consistency, working together.
“It's Formula 1, you've got to take every opportunity of learning to improve the scenario. All the recent lessons we've learned with Ollie, we'll be putting everything into Rafa.
“But first and foremost, we need to understand Rafa Camara as an individual. He's also a rookie, but they're two different people.”
Camara’s race craft will need polishing, and the transition to F1 will present challenges that no amount of testing can fully replicate.
But Komatsu has seen enough to believe that the qualities that matter most are already there. The task now is to turn that natural speed and feel into the consistency required to thrive at the highest level.
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