Kimi Antonelli backs former teammate Rafael Camara.
Kimi Antonelli has a warm welcome ready for his former team-mate Rafael Camara, who joins the Formula 1 grid in 2027. According to f1.com, the Mercedes driver says the two support each other and that he is looking forward to having Camara on the grid. It is a friendly reunion between two drivers whose careers have run side by side since their teenage years, even though their routes to Formula 1 have been very different.
Antonelli Backs Camara Ahead of His F1 Arrival
The message from Antonelli is simple and generous. The pair support each other, and he is pleased that a driver he knows so well is about to join him at the top level of the sport. Coming from someone who is already established in Formula 1 and closing in on the world championship in only his second season, the words carry real weight for a rookie preparing for his first full campaign.
Camara has returned the sentiment. The Brazilian says he has enjoyed watching Antonelli’s progress this year, calling it, and says it gives him extra motivation to keep working hard and improving himself. He insists there is no frustration at seeing his former rival reach Formula 1 first. In his view, everyone has their own time, and he believes Antonelli has earned what is happening to him through hard work. He also described him as a genuinely nice person.
Camara added that he hopes the two can one day fight for results on track together. For now, he says his own focus is on making the most of next season and learning as much as possible so that it is a good year.
Camara Confirmed at Haas for the 2027 F1 Season
Camara’s promotion became official in mid-October 2026, when Haas announced him as one of its race drivers for the 2027 season. The 21-year-old is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and takes the seat vacated by Esteban Ocon. Haas will therefore field two Ferrari-backed drivers, with Oliver Bearman expected to remain with the American team alongside him.
The announcement ended a period of speculation over the final seats on the 2027 grid. Camara had been linked with other options, but it was Haas that moved to secure him, after he had already sampled the team’s machinery in testing of previous-generation cars. Camara is the first rookie to be confirmed for the 2027 season, and he will arrive in a sport where Antonelli is set to continue at Mercedes alongside George Russell.
The Portimao Test That Opened the Door
Camara earned the seat after an impressive performance in a private Haas test at Portimao in August. He was not the only driver given the chance to impress. Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa and McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli were also at the test, which made the stakes obvious. Fornaroli, the 2025 Formula 2 champion, was also considered a candidate for the seat.
Camara has described it as a very intense two days. It was a new track, a new car and a new team, and he needed to get up to speed as quickly as possible while delivering when it mattered. He admitted there was a huge amount of pressure, so he tried to focus, enjoy the moment and make the most of it. He felt he had done the maximum he could, and that whatever the outcome, he would be satisfied with that. Until his confirmation as an F1 driver, he had completed no first practice running, with his mileage coming in those testing outings.
From Prema Team-Mates to Formula 1 Rivals
The Antonelli and Camara story goes back to karting. In the FIA European Karting Championship, Antonelli took the title with 103 points, while Camara finished second with 80, and Arvid Lindblad took third.
The two then moved into single-seaters together as team-mates at Prema. In German Formula 4, Antonelli won the championship with 313 points and nine victories, while Camara finished third with 193 points and one win. Antonelli was also crowned champion in Italian Formula 4, with Camara again third. Antonelli had the upper hand in results and titles, but the pace difference between them, particularly in qualifying, was minimal.
They were team-mates again in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2023. Antonelli won the title and moved straight up to Formula 2, while Camara finished fifth overall and stayed in the category.
Camara’s Climb Through the Junior Ranks
That is where their paths diverged. Antonelli had Mercedes backing on his way to Formula 1, while Camara followed the Ferrari Driver Academy route. He won the Formula Regional European Championship the following season, then took the Formula 3 title last year, clinching it before the final round. This season he has been leading the Formula 2 standings, completing a steady climb that has now earned him a place on the Formula 1 grid.
ALSO READ: Norris: Antonelli Is Two Levels Above Russell
Camara will also join Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto as a full-time Brazilian driver in 2027. It will be the first time two Brazilians have raced in Formula 1 at the same time since Felipe Massa and Felipe Nasr in 2016. Brazilian fans will therefore have two drivers to follow on the grid, something that has not happened for more than a decade.
For Antonelli, the 2027 season will bring a familiar face back into his world. Two drivers who once shared a team garage as teenagers will line up against each other in Formula 1, with a friendly welcome already extended before a single race has been run. For Haas, the signing adds a young driver with a title-winning record in the feeder series to its line-up.
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