Fornaroli emerges as Haas frontrunner ahead of Doohan
Leonardo Fornaroli's surprise Haas test at Jerez is the clearest sign yet that McLaren intends to find its Formula 2 champion a seat on the grid for 2027.
Leonardo Fornaroli has emerged as a potential Haas candidate for 2027 amid growing uncertainty about the American team's future lineup.
The reigning Formula 2 champion, who is backed by McLaren, surprisingly tested Haas machinery at Jerez last week as part of the team's TPC program.
The team says it has "the capacity to test and appraise drivers through its TPC program," which has been boosted for 2026 with the new prominent backing by Toyota.
The test came just days after McLaren boss Andrea Stella confirmed the team is actively looking for a Formula 1 opportunity for the 21-year-old Italian.
"Leonardo is certainly an asset for Formula 1 in the future," Stella said in Barcelona.
"Leonardo, we want him to drive, certainly."
Stella suggested McLaren is open to placing Fornaroli elsewhere on the grid before any future move to the works team.
"We should work together with Leonardo to explore possibilities in Formula 1," he said.
Ocon's seat in the balance
Haas is expected to retain Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman for 2027, but Esteban Ocon's future appears less certain.
The development is also another obstacle for reserve driver Jack Doohan, who has been rebuilding his career at Haas after losing his Alpine race seat.
"If I managed to get back into a car, that would be amazing," the Australian told Fox Sports' Pit Talk podcast.
"But I know there are a lot more things than normal that are playing as a factor."
Doohan insists he is trying not to become consumed by speculation.
"I'm just focusing exactly on what's in my control," he said.
"There are opportunities that will come into my control that, in order to be in my control, are a little bit outside my control, if that makes sense."
He added: "I think there is a good opportunity, but I'm not in the same place where it's the be-all and end-all."
Leonardo Fornaroli at a glance
| Nationality | Italian |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 (as of 2026) |
| Formula 2 title | 2025 (reigning champion) |
| Backer | the Woking squad's junior programme |
| Haas TPC test | Jerez, June 2026 |
See also: 2026 F1 season on F1-Fansite.
Related: Ferrari junior Camara threatening Ocon's Haas seat for 2027
One F1 fan comment on “Fornaroli emerges as Haas frontrunner ahead of Doohan”
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A one-off TPC test with them barely has any relevance for future considerations, & as Haas has partnerships with both Ferrari & Toyota, he’d need to stop his association with McLaren altogether, just like Gabi.
Besides, if Haas were truly interested in his services, they would’ve let Ocon go after last season in favor of him, when he wasn’t working with any F1 team, so the fact they overlooked him following his F2 championship means that they’re unlikely to offer him a separate chance anymore, given that teams typically don’t offer later chances to drivers they’ve overlooked at least once before.
Realistically, Camara is the only one who’d replace Ocon, if anyone, or alternatively, a Toyota driver with an outside chance, & in the end, Ocon isn’t even guaranteed to lose his drive by any means, especially since he hasn’t even given a strong justification for that in the first place, so he’d need to start actually flopping to lose his drive.
He’s simply been unlucky this season with factors beyond his control more often than not, & has outright outperformed Ollie in the mix, while Haas as a team has been struggling for performance most recently, which has equally reflected on Ollie’s chances, while Ocon received an inferior strategy for the last race to further minimize his opportunities.