Ayao Komatsu carefully avoided guaranteeing Esteban Ocon’s future within the Haas F1 Team, while implicitly confirming that the team is already actively working on its lineup for 2027.
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These statements come just a few days after Ocon strongly denied rumors suggesting the possibility of losing his seat even before the end of the 2026 season, amid supposed internal tensions and frustration around his performances.
In Montreal, Komatsu had publicly defended his French driver, even going so far as to call some media speculation “low-level journalism,” but the Canadian Grand Prix was again more favorable to Ollie Bearman who finished in the top 10 than to Ocon, who was classified fourteenth two laps down after a big crash in practice.
A turbulent transfer market during the summer?
But when asked again about Haas’s future plans regarding its drivers, the Japanese executive was much more cautious: “When will we start thinking about our line-up? Right now: May, June, July. I think all teams are already looking for drivers for next year, not just us.”
When directly asked about his possible willingness to keep Ocon alongside the very promising Oliver Bearman, Komatsu clearly refused to give any guarantee: “I think answering this question would immediately create a stir. Because people would immediately take my words saying: ‘Ayao said that, so the decision is already made.'”
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The Haas boss believes that each of his answers would automatically be interpreted in an extreme way: “Some would say we are keeping Esteban, others that we are going to fire him. Everything would be completely taken out of context, so I will not answer this question.”
The Ferrari pipeline in the background
This caution is likely to further fuel speculation about Haas’s future projects. Bearman’s name continues to be associated with potentially bigger opportunities in the medium term, while Jack Doohan — supported by the technical links between Haas and Toyota — currently holds a closely watched reserve role.
Several Formula 2 drivers are also reportedly being considered internally as part of the American team’s reflections, including reigning F3 champion Rafael Câmara, a protected member of the Ferrari Driver Academy like Mick Schumacher or Bearman before him.
Even though Komatsu currently refuses to clarify Ocon’s situation (who received his big upgrade package later than his teammate), one thing is now clear: Haas is already actively preparing its future, and no seat seems completely secure for the coming seasons.
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