The future of the Haas driver duo for the 2027 season continues to be a topic of debate in Formula 1. Although Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon have contracts with the team, Ayao Komatsu admitted that the British driver’s situation depends directly on Ferrari, while dismissing any pressure to promote Brazilian Rafael Câmara.
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Bearman is experiencing Haas’s best season so far and is currently 12th in the championship. A member of Ferrari’s Young Driver Academy until 2024, the British driver still dreams of a spot in the Italian team, although a promotion next year seems unlikely given Charles Leclerc’s stay and the expectation of Lewis Hamilton’s renewal.
Even so, the executive acknowledged that a possible opportunity for Bearman could take the driver away from Haas. “Ollie’s contract is more related to Ferrari. If an opportunity arises for him to go elsewhere, of course we would like to keep him, but that decision does not depend on us. So, we are focused only on what we can control,” he told Sky Sports.
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This scenario increases speculation about Ocon’s future, who has only three points and is 17th in the championship. Among the names considered for a spot is Rafael Câmara, also a member of Ferrari’s Driver Academy and currently third in Formula 2.
Despite the rumors, Komatsu assured that the Frenchman remains valued and denied any influence from the Maranello team in the team’s choices. “We are fully focused on getting the most out of our two drivers. Esteban has 100% of our support, so that is what we are focused on. And, just to be clear: yes, Rafa is doing a great job, but it’s not as if Ferrari is pressuring us to hire him or anything like that. We choose drivers based on performance. Whoever can deliver the best performance will be our driver,” he concluded.
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