AUGUST 27, 2026

Four drivers enter Haas evaluation for possible 2027 seat

Leonardo Fornaroli, Rafael Câmara, Ryo Hirakawa and Jack Doohan are reportedly being assessed as Haas considers its 2027 driver options.

Haas appears to be arranging something close to a four-driver audition as it considers whether to change its line-up for 2027.

Leonardo Fornaroli, Rafael Câmara, Ryo Hirakawa and Jack Doohan are all expected to take part in testing with older machinery before the Italian Grand Prix. The running is reportedly planned for Portimão and Jerez, with Oliver Bearman providing a current-driver benchmark.

The exercise places Esteban Ocon's seat under obvious scrutiny, even if Haas has not publicly committed to replacing him.

Fornaroli has already impressed team principal Ayao Komatsu in previous running. Ferrari, meanwhile, is strongly supporting academy driver Câmara and has invested heavily in giving the Brazilian experience in older Formula 1 machinery.

Team principal Fred Vasseur says Ferrari's backing extends well beyond financial help and that its testing programme has been designed to prepare Câmara for opportunities such as this one.

Toyota has an interest in Hirakawa, who is already part of the Haas set-up, while reserve driver Doohan has another opportunity to remind the paddock why he reached Formula 1 in the first place.

Haas can afford to take its time. Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz are staying at Williams, while Fernando Alonso appears increasingly likely to remain with Aston Martin. That leaves Haas controlling one of the few seats that may genuinely become available.

It also leaves the team caught between its two major technical partners. Ferrari would like to see Câmara progress, Toyota has reasons to favour Hirakawa, and Haas must ultimately choose the driver it believes will score the most points.

Testing cannot reproduce the pressure of a Grand Prix weekend, but four candidates in comparable machinery should at least replace some of the usual driver-market guesswork with useful data.