Breaking: Haas announce Esteban Ocon replacement for Sao Paulo F1 Grand Prix

Haas has named Rafael Camara as Esteban Ocon's replacement for this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Frenchman Ocon was stood down from driving duties on Saturday morning of the Mexico City Grand Prix, after what is believed to have been a heated exchange after Friday practice with team boss Ayao Komatsu and race engineer Laura Mueller regarding the FP2 run plan. 

It has been confirmed that Ocon will not return to the team in 2026, ahead of his planned departure at the end of the season.

The team confirmed that Ocon was not dropped due to ill health, with the one-time grand prix winner taking to social media on Saturday evening to rebut claims of physical violence in the meeting, writing that: "I categorically reject any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature.

"I strongly condemn violence in all its forms and firmly believe that disagreements should always be handled with professionalism, respect, and mutual understanding."

He was replaced by Ryo Hirakawa for the weekend, with the Le Mans winner, who had deputised for Ocon in FP1 for his second mandatory rookie slot, taking over, and after multiple penalties, banked a point on his debut in 10th place - the 82nd driver to do so in F1 world championship history. 

However, Hirakawa is not available this weekend in Sao Paulo, as the race clashes with the World Endurance Championship season finale - the Monza Six Hours in Italy. 

The #8 Toyota crew of Hirakawa, Sebastien Buemi, and Brendon Hartley are on the cusp of winning the drivers' title, with a 17-point lead over the #7 Toyota with 26 points up for grabs. 

Should Hirakawa not race in the WEC, and Buemi and Hartley double-crew, they would be the official 2026 drivers' champions if they did win the title, and Hirakawa would not be able to join his crew-mates in being called a 2026 WEC world champion. 

This means Haas was faced with a choice of trying to get its 2027 driver Camara in the car ahead of time to make his debut, or go with its reserve driver Jack Doohan, whose performance in the TPC tests seriously impressed Haas and made him a contender for Ocon's 2027 seat, which ultimately went to Camara.

Haas has been able to agree an early release from Ferrari for Camara, who will become the team's fourth driver of the season - the maximum which is allowed in the rules. 

For the rest of the season, Haas must now field a driver line-up consisting of two from incumbent Oliver Bearman, Camara and Hirakawa.

There was no confirmation from the team on who will drive the second car alongside Bearman for the remainder of the season after the Sao Paulo GP weekend.

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Haas statement in full

In a statement, Haas also confirmed that Ocon would not be returning to the team, bringing to a close his F1 career, for now. 

"We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with Haas F1 Team this season," it began.

"Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City - but then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward.

"The conversations that ultimately unfolded between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations.

"Looking ahead, we've chosen Rafael Camara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Having excelled in his TPC outing in August, we know Rafa's capabilities, and we're looking forward to welcoming him into the team this weekend and working with him through his Formula 1 debut driving the VF-26 in Brazil."