The stewards have handed Haas's Rafael Câmara an official reprimand for impeding Charles Leclerc on a fast lap in Friday's FP2. Impeding in practice normally draws a warning, but the stewards decided this one called for a step up. Qualifying for the São Paulo GP starts at 15:00 local time on Saturday.
What happened
According to PlanetF1 and GPFans, the incident came in Friday's FP2. Car 51, Câmara (Haas), allegedly blocked car 16, Leclerc (Ferrari), on a fast lap. It happened on the high-speed approach to the main straight. PlanetF1's verdict story places it at the final left-hand kink, Turn 15; the other reports give no corner number.
Leclerc vented over team radio and was seen raising an arm in frustration. PlanetF1 reports he had to take the painted run-off area.
The stewards opened an investigation after the session. PlanetF1 said Câmara, Leclerc and team representatives from Haas and Ferrari were summoned for 17:40 local time. The verdict came late on Friday.
The stewards' reasoning
The stewards heard from Câmara and team representatives and reviewed video, team radio and in-car footage. Their reasoning came down to three points.
- Car 51 was warned several times that car 16 was arriving on a fast lap.
- Even so, car 51 was weaving and moving well into the racing line.
- Car 16 had to move right to avoid a collision, with a significant amount of the car off the track.
The stewards called the situation "clearly dangerous". They added that the typical penalty for impeding in a free practice session is a warning, but that a reprimand was warranted here. Neither outlet cites a regulation article.
Câmara's weekend
| Session | Câmara | Leclerc |
|---|---|---|
| FP1 | P18 | Did not run (Dino Beganovic drove) |
| FP2 | P16 | P7 |
Câmara is 21 and a Ferrari Driver Academy product. He is making his F1 debut at his home race, in car 51 vacated by Esteban Ocon. According to PlanetF1 he won the 2025 F3 title and leads the F2 standings by seven points over Nikola Tsolov with two rounds left. Haas has already announced him for 2027. A reprimand carries no fine or grid drop, and the reports mention no effect on the grid or on points. His first qualifying session is at 15:00 local time this Saturday.
