Esteban Ocon has departed Haas with immediate effect, concluding his tenure with the team four races earlier than planned. The decision follows a contentious incident during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. Rafael Camara, already confirmed for 2027, will now make his Formula 1 debut at the São Paulo Grand Prix this weekend.
The situation escalated from a heated radio exchange during second practice in Mexico. Ocon disputed a tyre strategy call from race engineer Laura Mueller, preferring soft tyres for a high-fuel run over the team’s instruction for mediums. This disagreement reportedly continued into the Friday debrief with team principal Ayao Komatsu.
Haas confirmed Ocon would not drive for the remainder of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend on Saturday morning. Komatsu has maintained that the conversations remain an internal matter, stating he acted in the team’s best interest. Ocon publicly denied any reports of physical violence in a social media statement.
Ryo Hirakawa, a two-time World Endurance Champion, stepped in for Ocon from Saturday onwards in Mexico. He finished 10th, securing a point on his Formula 1 debut after post-race penalties were applied to other drivers. Hirakawa is unavailable for São Paulo due to a clash with the WEC season finale at Monza.
Rafael Camara, 21, will now partner Ollie Bearman at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace. The Brazilian is the current FIA Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship points-leader and a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. He was previously announced as a full-time Haas driver for the 2027 season.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff offered the first external insight into the situation. Wolff, who has known Ocon since his junior career, framed the departure as a clash between Komatsu’s need to protect his team and Ocon’s conviction that he had done nothing wrong.
“At the end it came to the point where Ayao needed to represent the team and protect the team from certain rhetoric,” said Wolff. “On the other side, Esteban felt that personally, he wasn’t wrong in the things he said. You’ve got to respect that in the end the team calls the shots. The team principal needs to decide when it’s enough, and that is what Ayao did.”
Wolff’s connection to Ocon dates back to the Frenchman’s junior single-seater days, with Mercedes having managed his career through their driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue. Mercedes also provided funding to support Ocon’s entry into Formula 1.
Komatsu had previously expressed higher expectations for Ocon. In February 2026, the Haas team principal stated that the team “expected more” from Ocon in 2025, despite his experience as a race winner. Ocon joined Haas in 2025 after five seasons with Alpine.
Ocon had already confirmed in September 2026 that he would leave Haas at the conclusion of the current season. The remaining races on the 2026 calendar after São Paulo include Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Camara has undertaken simulator work with Ferrari in preparation for his debut.
