Komatsu sidesteps Ocon question as Haas eyes 2027 line-up
Ayao Komatsu defended Esteban Ocon publicly, but refused to promise either he or Oliver Bearman the Haas seat in 2027. The Frenchman's silly-season summer is here.
Ayao Komatsu has carefully sidestepped questions about the future of Esteban Ocon - while effectively confirming Haas is already evaluating its 2027 lineup.
The comments come just days after Ocon angrily denied rumours he could even lose his seat before the end of 2026 following reports of internal conflict and dissatisfaction with his performances.
Team boss Komatsu publicly defended the Frenchman in Montreal and blasted media speculation as low-ball journalism. But when pressed again about the team's future driver plans in Montreal the Japanese became notably cautious.
"When will we start considering the team's lineup? Around now - May, June, July," he said.
"I think everyone is looking for drivers for next year right now, and not just us, but all the teams."
A door left open
When asked directly whether he intends to keep Ocon and highly rated Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman together, Komatsu declined to give any reassurance.
"I think (answering) that question might cause a bit of a stir," he admitted. "Because then people will take my words and say: 'Oh, Ayao said that, so the decision has already been made.'"
"They'll either say we're keeping Esteban, or that we're firing him. It will be completely taken out of context, so I'm not going to answer that question."
The carefully worded response is likely to intensify speculation around Haas' plans, with Bearman increasingly linked to bigger opportunities, Toyota-linked Jack Doohan in the reserve role, and several F2 prospects reportedly being discussed within the team.
Haas F1 Team, quick reference
| F1 debut | 2016 Australian GP |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2014 (Gene Haas) |
| Constructors titles | 0 |
| Current line-up | Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman |
See also: Haas F1 stats and information on F1-Fansite.
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To my understanding, he actually said that on the same occasion on Thursday, but nothing weird because they simply haven't decided at this point anyway.
However, Ollie will almost certainly stay put because Lewis isn't about to retire just yet, & so will Ocon, unless he actually starts to flop (which hasn't happened at any point & is unlikely to start happening), especially considering the absence of definitively superior options, while only the Ferrari-affiliated Camara & Beganovic could even be comparatively better options to begin with.
Doohan most certainly doesn't have a chance or Ocon would've been replaced by him after last season already, so he's a reserve driver only for insurance policy rather than with a view to full-time promotion, nor is he even Toyota-linked because only Japanese drivers have any sort of affiliation with Toyota & the same with Honda, for that matter.
Among such drivers, only the Camara-Beganovic duo's fellow F2 driver Miyata & reserve/WEC driver Hirakawa are options to any extent, but the likelihood is very low, given their career situations & sporting prospects, nor has Haas chosen for non-sporting factors since they let Mazepin go.