Haas to Make 2027 F1 Driver Decision by July as Esteban Ocon’s Seat Comes Under Pressure

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has indicated that the American outfit will make its 2027 driver decisions within the next two months, placing the futures of both Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman firmly under the spotlight as the Formula 1 silly season begins to gather momentum.

“Around now time, like May, June, July,” Komatsu said when asked to estimate when the team would commit to its 2027 line-up. “I think everybody’s looking at next year’s drivers. It’s not just us, everyone.”

The timing reflects a broader pattern in the F1 driver market, which tends to fluctuate in activity every other season. The 2025 campaign — the final year under ground-effect regulations — saw eight teams alter their driver pairings, a period of upheaval largely triggered by Lewis Hamilton’s high-profile move to Ferrari. By contrast, 2026 has brought relative stability, with only the two Red Bull-owned squads making changes alongside the addition of new constructor Cadillac. That calm, however, has created conditions for a busy 2027 market, with more than half the current grid’s drivers — including both Haas incumbents — out of contract at the end of this year.

While Bearman’s place at Haas appears secure, it is Ocon whose future is generating the most scrutiny. The 29-year-old fiercely denied reports ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix that he was facing an early exit from the team, but his on-track performances have done little to strengthen his case for renewal. Ocon has accumulated just one point across the opening five races of 2026, leaving him 17 points adrift of Bearman, who has been the primary force behind Haas climbing to seventh in the Constructors’ Championship.

The contrast between the two drivers is difficult to overlook. When Ocon joined from Alpine ahead of the 2025 season, his signing was considered a significant acquisition — a driver with more than 100 grand prix starts, one race victory, and four podiums to his name. The expectation was that he would serve as a meaningful benchmark for the then-rookie Bearman. Instead, Bearman finished three points ahead of Ocon in their first shared season, and that gap has continued to grow in 2026.

Ocon has previously attributed some of his struggles to technical issues with the VF-25’s braking characteristics, a claim he reiterated following the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished 14th while Bearman secured a point in tenth place — aided in part by George Russell’s retirement and difficulties for McLaren.

“It was definitely hard work,” Ocon said after the race. “We had a problem with the car, definitely, in this race. Not one lap where I didn’t manage to not lock, basically, the front tyre. Turn 10 was definitely the big one, but I went off, I think twice in Turn 8 as well during the race. We put the update in qualifying yesterday, we did two laps with it, so it was difficult to really see if everything was working well, but clearly in the race there was a problem with the car. So, we’ll try and fix it for Monaco and come back there better.”

When pressed on whether he would retain both drivers if forced to decide immediately, Komatsu declined to be drawn into a direct answer. “I think a question like this is going to create some s**t, right?” he said. “Because then people are going to take my word and say, ‘oh, Ayao said if you decide now, you’re going to continue with Esteban, not continue with Esteban’. They take it completely out of context, so I’m not going to answer that question.”

As for potential replacements should Ocon depart, several options are under consideration. Haas could look to the Ferrari Driver Academy — a path that brought Bearman to the team — with reigning Formula 3 champion Rafael Camara, currently competing in Formula 2, among the candidates. However, there are reported reservations across the paddock about promoting drivers from junior categories, given the significant technical differences between those cars and current F1 machinery.

Reserve driver Jack Doohan is also reportedly a possibility, particularly given his commercial backing, though his difficult spell at Alpine has raised questions about his readiness. Whether Bearman’s 21-year-old Ferrari academy background could prompt a recall from Maranello — which gave him a one-off race debut in 2024 — remains another variable, though such a move would be considered a surprise.

Komatsu, a former engineer who has worked alongside multiple world champions including Fernando Alonso, has been clear in his ambitions for the team. With Haas demonstrably more competitive in 2026 than in previous seasons despite operating on one of the grid’s smaller budgets, the expectation is that the team will prioritise performance over other considerations when finalising its 2027 roster.