Komatsu thanked Ocon in the team’s statement: “I’d like to thank Esteban for everything he’s contributed to the team since joining us in 2025.” He also praised Ocon’s technical feedback and experience in developing this year’s VF-26.

Ocon has been in Formula 1 for a decade. He has 195 Grand Prix starts, a famous win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and three other podiums, and he’s driven for Manor, Force India, Renault/Alpine and Haas. At Sepang on Thursday, he made it clear he isn’t ready to leave the sport.

“I’m coming out of this project with my head high,” he added. With very few race seats left for 2027, he admitted a reserve role is a realistic fallback. Asked if he would accept a third-driver role, he said: “At worst, yes.” He’s been in that position before: he was Mercedes’ reserve driver in 2019 before returning to the grid with Renault.

The problem is the market. Most 2027 seats are already filled. Aston Martin confirmed Alonso and Stroll this week, and our report on driver-market rumours covers the bigger names. Apart from Haas, the main remaining opening is at Racing Bulls.

Haas tested several drivers in private sessions using older cars. As Komatsu put it when asked whether the tests meant a change was coming: “If that wasn’t the option, why do we test?”

Fornaroli’s exit from the running is the biggest surprise. As the reigning F2 champion, he looked like a natural choice for a team that has given chances to young drivers. But reports on 30 September said he had been formally told he wouldn’t be picked, leaving Câmara and Hirakawa as the realistic options.

Hirakawa’s case rests on Haas’s technical partnership with Toyota, which has deepened in recent seasons. His experience in endurance racing, including a Le Mans win, would give Haas a very different kind of driver from Câmara.

He’s leading F2. After an eventful Baku weekend, Câmara heads the Formula 2 championship on 207 points, seven ahead of Dimitar Tsolov and 18 ahead of Alex Dunne, with two rounds left. He inherited the second Feature Race win in Baku after Dunne’s pit-entry penalty. Our Tsolov vs Câmara comparison covers the title fight.

Ferrari backing. Haas uses Ferrari engines and has a close relationship with Maranello. Câmara is a Ferrari Driver Academy member, as is Bearman, so a Bearman–Câmara line-up would be two Ferrari juniors in one car.

He impressed in testing. According to Grande Prêmio, Câmara prepared at Mugello, was positively assessed at Portimão and impressed team owner Gene Haas. Asked whether he was ready for F1, he didn’t hesitate: “Yes. I don’t see why I wouldn’t be ready.”

Oliver Bearman is expected to stay at Haas and, with Ocon gone, to step up as the team’s lead driver. If Câmara joins him, Haas would have one of the youngest line-ups on the grid, a big change from a team that hired experience in Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg in recent years.

With Aston Martin confirming Alonso and Stroll, Haas and Racing Bulls are now the main openings for 2027. For the drivers who miss out, including Ocon, Doohan and Fornaroli, reserve roles may be the best option. Our F1 2027 regulations guide covers what’s changing next year, and our F1 standings have this season’s points.