Brazilian Camara to replace Ocon at Haas F1 team next season

LONDON, Oct 15 : Brazilian Rafael Camara will race for Haas next season on a multi-year deal, with the US-owned Formula One team saying on Thursday he was clearly the quickest in a shoot-out test for the seat.

The 21-year-old Ferrari Academy driver leads the Formula Two standings with two rounds remaining, after winning the F3 title last year.

He will be the second Brazilian on the starting grid, with Gabriel Bortoleto already racing for Audi, and plans to take the number 50 since his compatriot races with the 5 that would have been his first choice as a driver born on May 5, 2005.

Camara replaces Frenchman Esteban Ocon, whose departure was announced last month, at the Ferrari-powered team. Britain's Oliver Bearman, who also came through the Ferrari Academy, is yet to be confirmed but sure to stay as the more experienced team leader.

The signing dashed the immediate hopes of Australian Jack Doohan, the reserve who had been hoping for a return to a full-time race seat after a split from Renault-owned Alpine last year.

"He (Camara) was the quickest, very simple answer. He was impressive," Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu told reporters on a video call when asked what had decided the choice.

RESERVE DOOR REMAINS OPEN FOR DOOHAN 

Komatsu said Doohan's future with the team was "still up in the air" but the door remained open for him to continue in his current role.

"We've been talking with him and his manager to see if we can do something together beyond this year," he added.

Camara, a former teammate of Mercedes' 20-year-old Formula One championship leader Kimi Antonelli in the FRECA European junior series, showed his pace when he drove last year's Haas in a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing in Portugal at the Algarve Circuit in