Haas faces pivotal choice as Ocon’s seat becomes the centre of the 2027 driver market
Haas weighs independence against financial support
Haas is the only Formula 1 team still actively shopping in the driver market, with Esteban Ocon’s seat for 2027 up for grabs. His recent form has offered some encouragement—his 11th-place finish in Madrid was his best result since scoring points in Monaco—but the pressure on his position remains.
The shortlist includes reserve driver Jack Doohan, Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, McLaren driver Leonardo Fornaroli and Ryo Hirakawa, who is backed by title sponsors Toyota. All four have had opportunities to make their case in testing. Fornaroli’s credentials are particularly notable: he is a Formula 2 and Formula 3 champion, but currently has nowhere to go. The wider development picture can also be seen in Alexander Dunne’s recent Formula 2 podium return.
Camara offers promise—and a strategic complication
Camara is an obvious sporting candidate. He won the Formula 3 title last year and currently sits second in the Formula 2 standings, with two victories and six podiums this season. A deal could also bring Haas a parts discount.
However, signing him would intensify the perception that Haas is becoming a Ferrari junior team, similar to Racing Bulls. Oliver Bearman, already a Ferrari academy driver, is expected to remain with the team for a third season. Team owner Gene Haas is therefore understood to be reluctant to surrender control of the second seat.
Haas already uses Ferrari’s power unit, steering and transmission, as well as its simulator, although the team is developing its own facility. That suggests a wider question about the direction of the organisation: whether it wants greater independence or a deeper commercial and technical relationship with a major manufacturer.
The decision behind the decision
Joe Saward said on the 2 Guys, A Girl and F1 podcast that Gene Haas does not want the team to become a junior operation for either Ferrari or Toyota. “If he has two Ferrari drivers, that’s no good,” he said, adding that two Toyota-linked drivers would likewise risk making the cars feel as though they belonged to somebody else.
The financial context is unavoidable. Haas is seventh in the standings, with 17 of its 21 points scored in the opening three rounds, and has been outdeveloped by Racing Bulls, Alpine and Audi. The team has acknowledged that it cannot spend the full amount allowed under the cost cap, making additional support from Toyota, Ferrari or another source potentially valuable.
Bearman has been a successful signing, averaging 1.5 points per race—the best record of any Haas driver. With other driver pairings largely settled, Haas has considerable choice. Its final decision, expected within days, will reveal whether Gene Haas wants to build a bigger, more independent team or accept the advantages of becoming a customer operation.
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.