Haas runs three F1 hopefuls at Portimao as 2027 seat battle for Ocon intensifies

Haas ran three drivers — Ryo Hirakawa, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara — in a Testing of Previous Cars session at Portimao from 26 to 28 August, as the American outfit begins a structured evaluation process to decide who will partner Oliver Bearman in 2027. All three completed laps in the VF-25, Haas’ current F1 car, at the Portuguese circuit.

Bearman is widely expected to retain his seat, but the future of Esteban Ocon remains open. Haas has made no secret of its intention to assess all available options before committing to a second driver for the new regulations era beginning in 2027.

The Portimao test follows a similar TPC run held last month at Fuji, where Toyota-backed drivers Sho Tsuboi and Nirei Fukuzumi were given time in the car. Fornaroli, the 2025 Formula 2 champion and a McLaren development driver, and Camara, a current F2 title contender and Ferrari junior, represent two of the more prominent candidates to have now turned a lap in Haas machinery.

Team principal Ayao Komatsu framed the interest from outside drivers as a positive sign for a team that has struggled for points in recent races. “I think it’s really good that other people are actually interested in us,” Komatsu said ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. “At the moment, we’re not performing so well. We cannot challenge for points, but I think it’s nice that other people can see the potential in us. We just take it as a compliment that other drivers are interested.”

Komatsu has been careful to stress that no decision is imminent. His stated priority is extracting maximum performance from Bearman and Ocon across the remainder of the current campaign and into 2026, with the 2027 line-up to be resolved in due course. “We’re not in any rush,” he said at Zandvoort. “We’re focused on our two drivers, Ollie and Esteban, trying to get the best out of them. We need to really just focus on providing them with the best possible car, best set-up adaptation, and get the best out of them.”

Haas has historically been among the last teams on the grid to confirm its driver pairings for the following season, and with much of the 2027 grid already settled elsewhere, a similarly unhurried timeline would be consistent with the team’s past approach.