Ocon backs Camara's Haas drive but insists: 'I don't deserve to be out of F1'

Ocon welcomes Camara but defends own F1 credentials

Esteban Ocon has given his backing to Rafael Camara's promotion to a Haas race seat for 2027 — but the Frenchman has made it clear he believes he also deserves a place on the Formula 1 grid next year.

Haas confirmed last week that Camara, a Ferrari junior, will race for the team in 2027. With Ocon already knowing he will not remain with the American squad, the team's current drivers arrive at the United States Grand Prix with contrasting perspectives on the Brazilian's arrival — though both agree he has earned his chance.

Ocon, whose contract option was not taken up by Haas over the summer, has described himself as a free agent for 2027 and is focused on securing a seat elsewhere. A suggestion in Austin on Thursday that this weekend could mark his final appearance at the venue drew a firm response.

"Don't say that," Ocon replied. "I'm coming here to do the best job I can, try and exploit the maximum amount of the car. As I said, I deserve to be here in F1.

"There are many circumstances why I'm not here next year, but they are not the performance reasons. I've won everything, in every category I've done – in go-karts, in Formula Renault, in F3, in GP3, in F1.

"In all these categories, I've won races. So, just thinking of a sports perspective, I deserve to be in F1. And yeah, I believe that this is not my last year."

Asked whether those circumstances related to Haas opting for a Ferrari junior driver, Ocon was measured but pointed.

"I can't say very much. What I will say is that Rafa deserves a shot in F1. I think he's shown in the [junior] categories that he's very good. But I don't deserve to be out of F1 at the same time. So that's it."

Pressed on which other drivers he felt should make way on the 2027 grid, Ocon declined to name names. "I'm not here to say who deserves [to go and] who doesn't," he said. "But just looking at the results, as I said, Rafa deserves a shot in F1 for sure. But I don't deserve to be out in the way that I've had at the moment. Of course, as I said I'm working on a solution for next year, and that's the main target to do well this weekend, and to do well in the next three."

Bearman welcomes 'joint birthday party' with Camara

While Ollie Bearman has yet to be formally confirmed by Haas for 2027, Camara's arrival presents a very different prospect for the Briton, who has known the Brazilian for several years through their shared Ferrari links.

"It's funny because we joined Ferrari on the same day," said Bearman. "We both signed at the same time, and I think we're like three or four days apart in in birthdays. So we can have a joint birthday party next year!

"But no, it's really cool. I think for him, he's been having a really good time in the junior formulas, and I think Haas is a great place to start your F1 career. It's a great team, welcoming, and probably quite different compared to other teams.

"I don't know how some of the other teams are where rookies tend to go, but I've really enjoyed the atmosphere here, and how passionate everybody is as well."

Bearman will arrive with significantly more F1 experience than Camara, offering him a chance to cement his status as team leader.

"To be honest, I think I've shown that already," the Briton added. "I think this year has been a big step for myself in terms of okay on track performance, but more importantly, how I deal with the team, how I transition into that role of leading the team. And I think I've seen a big step in how I deal with the team, but also how the team values my input and my feedback.

"It's definitely important to be cemented as the team leader by having more experience. It's not that I'm not already kind of working well towards that. I think this year has been a big step in that regard, and it's normal coming from F2 that it's not an instant transition, and takes time. But I would say that I've really come a long way in that regard."

Ferrari futures and the Leclerc comparison

The pair's shared Ferrari ties mean comparisons between Bearman and Camara are likely to intensify in 2027, with both harbouring ambitions of eventually racing for the Scuderia.

"Of course," said Bearman. "We're the same age. Obviously, Rafa has less experience than me in F1, but yeah, I guess that for Ferrari it's also a good thing to see who they want to put in their car in the medium term, and of course, my goal is to put myself in the best position for that to be me."

Bearman acknowledged that Camara could yet get the nod, pointing to Charles Leclerc's single-season path from Sauber to the works Ferrari team. "It's all a question of timing, right?," said Bearman. "Charles was there for one year. He had a very good year in Sauber that gave him that opportunity. In my case, things didn't work out like that. It's always a question of how timing looks, and yeah, that's the reality of F1."

Context: Ocon's 2027 search and growing support

Ocon's situation has drawn support beyond the paddock. On 30 September 2026, a Formula 1 columnist argued that the sport "would be poorer" if Ocon's story ended before he had another chance to prove himself, pointing to his Hungarian Grand Prix victory as evidence of the "ability, resilience and racecraft" required at the highest level.

The Frenchman had earlier, on 30 September 2026, declared himself a free agent for 2027 in Azerbaijan, with Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirming the option on his contract had not been taken up over the summer. At that stage, Camara, Jack Doohan, Ryo Hirakawa and Leonardo Fornaroli had emerged as potential candidates for the seats.