Eagle-eyed observers at the Brazilian Grand Prix will have noticed that Haas F1 newbie Rafael Camara wasn't driving with the number his team announced for him last month.

Camara recently signed on to replace Esteban Ocon for the 2027 season, but has been pressed into service sooner than expected due to the Frenchman's shock departure in the middle of the Mexico Grand Prix weekend.

Ryo Hirakawa replaced Ocon for the rest of that weekend, having already been on-site in Mexico City and having driven in FP1 as part of a scheduled rookie session, but Camara took over at Interlagos.

When he signed his contract with the team, it was revealed that the young Brazilian had chosen the number 50 to bear on his car for his career – but in Sao Paulo this weekend, he had the number 51 on the nose of his car.

Why is Rafael Camara racing with number 51?

Seems weird, right? Well, Hirakawa raced in Mexico City with the No. 50, which effectively locked the number out of Camara's reach.

It's been reported that Camara has already asked the FIA to be allowed to revert to his original choice for his first full season in 2027, although no decision has been made yet.

It's still unclear who will drive alongside Ollie Bearman for the American team in Las Vegas, with Haas announcing Ocon's replacements race by race at the moment. It appears likely, however, that it will be Camara.

The season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, however, are up in the air for a number of reasons. First comes the question of whether the races will even be held as planned due to the unstable political situation in the region, and second comes Camara's F2 plans.

The Brazilian is seven points clear at the top of the F2 championship, with two rounds remaining – the weekends in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. It's unfeasible to compete in F1 and F2 in the same weekend, so he and Haas have a choice: run for the F2 championship, or get valuable F1 experience before the 2027 season.