Esteban Ocon’s Haas Future Left Hanging as Team Boss Ayao Komatsu Says They Are ‘Not in Any Rush’ Over 2027 Driver Plans

• Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu says the team is not rushing to confirm its 2027 driver line-up, with neither Esteban Ocon nor Oliver Bearman’s seat yet decided.
• It is understood Bearman is more likely to keep his seat than Ocon, with Rafael Camara and Yuki Tsunoda among those waiting for an opportunity.
• Haas are on a run of six rounds without a point after a double DNF at the Dutch Grand Prix, a slide Komatsu says comes from being the smallest team in Formula 1’s biggest regulation change.

Ayao Komatsu says Haas are in no hurry to settle their 2027 driver line-up, with the team principal preferring to focus on getting the best out of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon rather than rushing a decision on who partners who next season.

Neither seat has been confirmed for 2027, but it is understood Bearman is the more likely of the pair to remain with the team, with young talents including Rafael Camara and the currently seatless Yuki Tsunoda waiting for a chance to take Ocon’s place.

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Komatsu Explains the Approach

Speaking before the Dutch Grand Prix, where Haas went on to suffer a double DNF, Komatsu was reluctant to give a definitive answer on the team’s 2027 plans. “We’re not in any rush,” he said. “We’re focused on our two drivers, Ollie and Esteban, trying to get the best out of them. They’ve got the tough challenge, right? You know what they’re capable of. You know, Ollie has shown it repeatedly. Esteban, when he is happy with the car, you know what he can do.

“So 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. And then both of our drivers are fully focused.”

A Season That Faltered

Haas made a strong start to 2026, headlined by Bearman’s fifth-place finish at the Chinese Grand Prix, but that early promise has not held. The team is now on a run of six rounds without a point, and their gap to the midfield teams around them has grown as the year has gone on. Bearman has scored 18 points to Ocon’s three across the season.

Komatsu put the slide down to Haas’s size relative to the rest of the grid amid Formula 1’s biggest regulation reset. “This is the biggest regulation change ever,” he explained. “So us being the smallest team, we expect that we’re going to really be struggling to keep up with the other big boys in the development race.

“We started the season extremely well, much better than anyone can think of, and then from that moment I think that’s the reality. With our constraints, we’re trying to develop the car as fast as possible, but the other guys are putting performance on the car faster than us. That’s the reality.”

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‘There’s No Blame Culture’

Komatsu was clear that he does not hold his drivers responsible for the team’s form. “To be fair, honestly, it’s nothing against the guys in the team, they’re doing a fantastic job, they’re working together, and then for us to have a chance to keep up with the other guys, everything has to be perfect, right? Everything. In life, that’s not something you can ask for all the time.

“I really do think I need to provide them with a better environment, facilitate it, so that they can show what they’re capable of. I’m sure of that. But the good thing is those tough times show the character, right? And then there’s no blame culture. We looked at the problem: what’s the issue, where are we lacking downforce, why the drivability is not great, what are the drivers struggling with? We’re all on the same page, trying to fix the issue, trying to put performance on the car.”

The Path Back

Komatsu accepted that Haas’s recovery will not happen overnight, but said the team has a plan in place. “Of course, again, that takes time,” he said. “Lots of things we’re putting in place will take time for it to materialise, but we’ve just got to believe in ourselves, the teamwork, support each other, and we’ll get through it like we did the last two years.”

That patience extends to the driver market. Camara, backed by Ferrari’s junior programme, and Tsunoda, who spent this season on standby before a mid-year recall to Racing Bulls, both give Haas options if they decide to move on from Ocon for 2027. For now, Komatsu’s message is that neither driver should expect a call any time soon, with the team’s attention fixed on finding performance rather than settling its line-up.

Ocon joined Haas for 2025 on a multi-year deal after five seasons at Alpine, and has partnered Bearman, a Ferrari junior who stepped up to a full-time race seat that same year, through Haas’s difficult first season under the new regulations. Komatsu’s comments leave both men’s long-term standing at the team unresolved, tied to how much Haas can recover on track between now and whenever he and his bosses do settle the question.

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Written by

Jack Renn

Jack Renn is an editor at F1 Chronicle and a veteran motorsport journalist with 25 years of experience covering Formula 1 and international motorsport. A member of the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), the global body representing accredited sports journalists, Jack has spent his career reporting from paddocks and press rooms across the F1 calendar. His work spans race analysis, technical insight, and in-depth features, giving readers authoritative coverage grounded in decades of firsthand experience at the highest level of the sport.

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