Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has laid out the criteria facing candidates for the team’s second seat in 2027, insisting that outright speed will take priority over any commercial or manufacturer ties.
The American outfit has yet to formally confirm its line-up for the 2027 Formula 1 season.
Oliver Bearman is expected to continue for another year under the terms he signed when he joined Haas last season.
However, the second seat is less settled, with Esteban Ocon not seemingly guaranteed to keep his drive beyond 2026.
Asked what Haas is looking for, Komatsu made it clear that performance comes first.
“I’ve always said, we take drivers by performance, so performance comes absolutely first,” he told media.
“If two drivers have got equal performance, affiliations or the packages they’ve got matter.
“But we never take somebody who is three-tenths slower, but who has got affiliations with Toyota or Ferrari, or got 5 million more.
“We’re not going to do that, so it’s all about performance first.”
2027 Haas lineup remains a mystery
Haas is among only a handful of teams still to formalise its 2027 line-up, and Komatsu suggested a decision is not imminent
. Asked when he expects to make the call, he said: “I don’t know, not next week, shall I say.”
Reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and current F2 title contender Rafael Camara are both believed to be in the running for the drive, while recent reports have also linked former Alpine driver Jack Doohan, who joined Haas as a reserve driver this year.
Komatsu confirmed the team has no shortage of interest to work through. “We’re in a very fortunate situation,” he said. “There are so many drivers interested in our seat. Five [drivers].”
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