Macon MFA Agri Services

10/15 11:26 CDT Haas signs Formula 2 leader Rafael Cmara to replace Esteban Ocon in F1 next season Haas signs Formula 2 leader Rafael Cmara to replace Esteban Ocon in F1 next season BANBURY, England (AP) --- American Formula 1 team Haas is going with youth instead of experience for 2027 after signing Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Cmara on Thursday to partner fellow youngster Oliver Bearman next season. The Brazilian driver replaces 30-year-old Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has one win to his name and is without an F1 seat next year. Like Bearman, Cmara is 21 and a product of the young driver development program at Ferrari, Haas' longtime engine supplier and technical partner. Haas has yet to confirm Bearman for next year but the British driver is widely expected to be staying for a third full season with the team, given his strong results this season compared to Ocon and the lack of any open seat at Ferrari. Bearman and Cmara are set to form the youngest partnership on the grid by combined age. The announcement comes ahead of a home race for Haas at the United States Grand Prix next week. "I'm really excited to sign such a young, amazing talent like Rafael Cmara," Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said in a statement. "We're all excited about this opportunity and really committed as TGR Haas F1 Team to nurture this talent and provide a place where he can flourish. We want to create an environment where he's comfortable and supported, where he can really excel in his capabilities." Cmara leads the F2 standings by seven points from Red Bull-backed junior Nikola Tsolov. He would be named champion if the final two scheduled rounds of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can't go ahead and no replacement is scheduled. "Now my focus is on preparing myself in the best possible way for this new challenge," Cmara said. "There will be a lot to learn, and I'm looking forward to working closely with the team, understanding the car and continuing to develop as a driver." Next year will be the first since 2016 with more than one Brazilian driver on the grid, after Audi previously confirmed Gabriel Bortoleto was staying for 2027. Ocon has said he's a "free agent" and would prefer to stay around F1 in a reserve driver role with another team than to race in a different series. ___ See AP's full auto racing coverage here

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.