Esteban Ocon's hold on Haas's second seat for 2027 is looking shaky. Team principal Ayao Komatsu has said himself that there are "five candidates" – and that five includes the incumbent, Ocon. There are even reports that, during the Spanish GP weekend in Madrid, representatives of the candidate drivers met Haas figures behind closed doors.
Credibility: high — First reported by: the five names came from Komatsu himself in an interview with Japan's as-web.jp (republished by Grandprix.com on 4 September); the secret Madrid meeting from Motorsport.com Brazil. Picked up by: Infobae, AutoRacer.it, RacingNews365, PaddockNews24 and others. Response: Komatsu has openly acknowledged the contest; Ocon has stayed silent. In one line: on-the-record comments from the team principal and TPC tests that actually took place back up the reports.
The five names Komatsu gave
In the as-web.jp interview carried by Grandprix.com on 4 September, Komatsu reportedly said that "five drivers, including the reserve drivers, are competing for one seat in 2027", then listed Ryo Hirakawa, Jack Doohan, Leonardo Fornaroli, Rafael Câmara and Ocon. His comments over the Madrid weekend, reported by RacingNews365, ran along the same lines: "We've always chosen drivers on performance, and performance is the absolute priority," but "if two drivers' performance is equal, affiliation or the package they bring does matter". Asked about timing, he would only say a decision was "not next week". In an interview with AutoRacer.it he reportedly said that "all 400 people who work here need to know we picked the best driver", and described himself as "very optimistic" about the 2027 budget. AutoRacer.it's list, though, had Yuki Tsunoda in place of Ocon, so the make-up of the five varies from outlet to outlet.
The Madrid meeting and the Jerez test
According to Infobae, citing Motorsport.com Brazil on 17 September, representatives of four candidate drivers met Haas in Madrid over the Spanish GP weekend to run through negotiating scenarios, with the final decision left to Komatsu. Infobae added that GPBlog puts Câmara's chances at 90%. Câmara, Fornaroli and Hirakawa have driven the VF-25 at Portimão, and at the Jerez TPC on 14–15 September Doohan ran alongside Hirakawa and Sho Tsuboi, Speedcafe and Grandprix.com reported. PaddockNews24 called the Jerez running "the decisive test for the final decision", but gave the date as "Thursday", which does not match other outlets.
Where Ocon's contract stands
Even Ocon's contract status is described differently from outlet to outlet. Motorsport-Total.com wrote in June that Ocon had signed a multi-year deal from 2025 of undisclosed length, and at the time Komatsu dismissed talk of a mid-season change as "complete nonsense". Infobae, by contrast, describes the seat as one whose contract is expiring. The numbers are not in his favour. By Motorsport-Total's count he lost to team-mate Oliver Bearman 38–41 on points and 10–14 in qualifying in 2025, and after six rounds of 2026 it was 3–18 on points and 2–4 in qualifying. Bearman is reported to be all but certain to stay.
| Name | Current role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Esteban Ocon | Haas race driver | On Komatsu's list of five. Losing the team-mate battle (3–18 on points after six rounds of 2026) |
| Leonardo Fornaroli | McLaren test driver, 2025 F2 champion | Drove in the Portimão TPC. Within a tenth of Hirakawa and Bearman in comparison running at Jerez (as-web.jp) |
| Rafael Câmara | Ferrari Driver Academy, F2 runner-up (170 pts) | Drove in the Portimão TPC. 90% chance per GPBlog. Ferrari backing helps with funding but limits autonomy (PaddockNews24) |
| Ryo Hirakawa | Haas reserve, Toyota Gazoo Racing partnership | Drove at both Jerez and Portimão. PaddockNews24 cites "paddock sentiment that his chances are slim" |
| Jack Doohan | Haas reserve (from 2026), seven starts for Alpine | First Haas run at Jerez on 14–15 September |
Even with Saturday's Azerbaijan GP coming up, Haas has not committed to a date for its decision.
Sources
- Motorsport-Total.com — Wer sind die Haas-Fahrer 2027? "Kommt darauf an"
- Infobae — El cambio de pilotos en la Fórmula 2 que adelantaría la llegada de una promesa de Ferrari a la F1: el encuentro secreto
- AutoRacer.it — Haas, Komatsu: mercato piloti e budget 2027
- PaddockNews24 — Haas y el enigma de pilotos para 2027: prueba crucial para la decisión final
- Grandprix.com — Komatsu confirms five-driver fight for Ocon's Haas seat
- RacingNews365 — Haas reveal crucial factor for drivers contending for 2027 F1 seat
- Grandprix.com — Doohan completes first Haas test at Jerez
- Speedcafe — Jack Doohan gets Haas audition as 2027 decision nears