Fornaroli leads Haas queue as Ocon's future grows murkier
Reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli tested for Haas at Jerez this month and is now considered the leading candidate to replace Esteban Ocon in 2027.
Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli has emerged as perhaps the leading candidate for a Haas race seat in 2027 as speculation about Esteban Ocon's future continues to grow.
The Italian joins an increasingly crowded list of names linked with Haas, including Toyota-backed Jack Doohan, Ferrari junior Rafael Camara and Red Bull reserve Yuki Tsunoda, whose Japanese ties would also fit the team's Toyota partnership.
Now, Denmark's Ekstra Bladet reports that reigning Formula 2 champion Fornaroli, 21, is firmly in contention.
Earlier this month, Haas tested the McLaren junior in a two-year-old Formula 1 car at Jerez.
"I don't know where we're going with it, but the purpose of our TPC program is to provide opportunities for young drivers," team boss Ayao Komatsu said in Austria.
The test attracted attention because Fornaroli is part of McLaren's driver program, while Haas' TPC outings are generally run by Toyota with a focus on Japanese talent.
"Leo is the reigning F2 champion, he is a strong driver and has a really good training program with McLaren, so we are happy with the chance to take a closer look at him," Komatsu explained.
Fornaroli won the Formula 2 title as a rookie after previously becoming Formula 3 champion, a record that has put him firmly on the Formula 1 radar.
However, Komatsu was careful not to fuel speculation about his current lineup.
"I don't know if we need a new one (driver), because my focus is with our two drivers."
Haas F1 Team, quick facts
| Founded | 2015 (F1 debut 2016) |
|---|---|
| Engine supplier | Toyota (2026) |
| Team principal | Ayao Komatsu |
| Current drivers | Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon |
See also: Haas F1 team history & stats on F1-Fansite.
Related: Ocon dismisses Haas exit talk despite growing 2027 pressure
One F1 fan comment on “Fornaroli leads Haas queue as Ocon's future grows murkier”
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Realistically, Camara leads the queue, if anyone, given his performance level in F2 & Ferrari-affiliation.
Yes, Haas already has Bearman, but nothing prevents them from running two Ferrari-affiliated drivers simultaneously, if they wanted to, so Bearman’s presence is secondary.
Of course, Fornaroli would have to stop his association with McLaren altogether, as Bortoleto had to do for his switch to Audi, given Haas’ technical partnerships with both Ferrari & Toyota, which is why only Ferrari- & Toyota-affiliated drivers can/could drive for them while still keeping their affiliations.
Yes, he participated in Haas’ most recent TPC test, but people shouldn’t make conclusions over a single random test.
Additionally, if Haas truly desired Fornaroli, he would’ve been offered following his F2 championship, when he wasn’t involved with any organization; hence, he’s already been overlooked by Haas.
All in all, no definitively superior option is available, & only the Ferrari-affiliated Camara & Beganovic could realistically even be comparatively superior to Ocon, the latter to a lesser extent.
As I’ve pointed out before, Doohan isn’t Toyota-backed because only Japanese drivers are involved with them, just like with Honda, & Tsunoda wouldn’t fit at all with the team’s technical partnership with Toyota because he’s Honda-affiliated, while Toyota & Honda are close manufacturer rivals, so firstly they wouldn’t push for each other’s drivers, & conflicts would arise, just like with Toyota-affiliated drivers regarding Aston Martin, so the equation works both ways.
Therefore, zero chance unless he either switched to Toyota or at least stopped his Honda-affiliated altogether.
All things considered, the team’s technical partnership with Toyota is a hindrance rather than a help, so only Japanese drivers who’re affiliated with Toyota have any chance.
Besides, he wouldn’t even be an improvement from Ocon by any means, so this is another reason why he doesn’t stand a chance, or such a change would’ve already happened, especially before Haas’s Toyota partnership began.
Most relevantly, though, people should stop speculating about Ocon because he hasn’t given a strong justification for losing his drive at any point, & accept that the total points tally is solely down to factors beyond his control that have affected him in almost every 2026 round so far (most recently the first VSC in the last race that allowed Bearman to rejoin ahead from his first pit stop), not to mention most recently the whole team has been struggling with overall performance, which is why even Bearman hasn’t achieved decent results anymore, & this is also why their precise finishing order is secondary since both equally fail to reach Q3 & finish well outside the points anyway, with a one or two-position difference at maximum.
Simply put, the drivers aren’t an issue at all in the team’s present situation; hence, changing for the sake of changing wouldn’t benefit one bit, as no driver can achieve good or decent results with such issues anyway.
He’s also personally pointed this out on a few occasions, & that most recently he’s been particularly suffering from a balance issue on the rear that has caused higher tyre deg, & he also made clear shortly before the Austrian GP weekend that people can say or write what they want, especially since they don’t fully know about the deeper issues anyway.
All in all, while F1 has always been fully of speculation, especially unfounded such, all the speculation regarding Haas has simply been or felt pointless in the big picture.