Devastating decision slams door shut on axed Aussie’s F1 career
A narrow window of opportunity has been slammed shut for Aussie driver Jack Doohan, after Haas signed Ferrari junior Rafael Camara to replace Esteban Ocon for the 2027 Formula 1 season.
With Haas incumbent Ollie Bearman expected to retain his seat for next year, Doohan’s heroics in a “testing of previous cars” (TPC) session was unable to convince the team of his suitability for the full-time drive.
Jack Doohan will not race in Formula 1 in 2027. Mark Thompson
Doohan has been out of a F1 seat since 2025 when he was dropped after just five races by Alpine in favour of Franco Colapinto. He is currently serving as Haas’ reserve driver for the 2026 season.
The Australian was among several candidates assessed during the American team’s TPC program, alongside Camara, Leonardo Fornaroli and Toyota driver Ryo Hirakawa.
Camara and Doohan emerged as the two main contenders for the job.
While the 21-year-old performed exactly as his strong reputation suggested, Doohan’s pace was so impressive, it pushed him high into contention and presented Haas management with a difficult final decision.
But Haas announced on Thursday AEDT that Brazilian Camara had secured the drive off the back of a stellar F2 campaign.
Camara currently leads the F2 championship for Invicta Racing with 207 points - seven clear of second place Nikola Tsolov with just two rounds remaining.
A Ferrari driver academy member like Bearman, Camara has claimed five pole positions and won three feature races in his rookie season.
He will step in for Esteban Ocon, who departs Haas at the end of the 2026 season after a two-year stint.
“To be fair, the good thing of all the driver selection process was all drivers who were involved in that did a very, very good job: Rafa, Leo Fornaroli, Ryo Hirakawa, Jack Doohan,” Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said of their decision.
“With Jack, our door is open, definitely. We’ve been talking with (him) and then his manager as well to see if we can do something together beyond this year.
“So that’s still an open question.”
Haas’ announcement of their 2027 driver line-up has reignited debate over Haas’ operational structure as a potential Ferrari B-team.
By pairing Bearman and Camara, Haas will field an all-Ferrari junior line-up in 2027.
Combined with the team’s use of Ferrari engines, gearboxes and customer components, alongside operating a dedicated design office in Maranello, there is a growing consensus in the paddock that Haas could start to function as a de facto Ferrari sister team.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has been the sport’s most vocal critic of these alliances.
When rumours recently emerged that Mercedes was preparing to buy a stake in Alpine, Brown swiftly penned a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, urging the governing body to take immediate steps to eliminate B-teams and anticompetitive links in the sport.
Critics point out that having a B-team in the paddock can create an alliance between the competitors - the most prominent being Red Bull and Racing Bulls - the two assisting each other with qualifying tows or strategic on-track manoeuvres.
