Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has made it clear that performance will be the top priority when choosing the team's second driver for the 2027 Formula 1 season, with commercial ties or manufacturer affiliations taking a back seat.
The American outfit has yet to confirm its 2027 line-up. Oliver Bearman is expected to stay on, but the second seat remains uncertain, with Esteban Ocon not guaranteed to keep his drive beyond 2026.
When asked about the criteria, Komatsu was direct: "I've always said, we take drivers by performance, so performance comes absolutely first. If two drivers have 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."
Haas is among a handful of teams still to finalise their 2027 line-up, and Komatsu suggested a decision is not imminent. "I don't know, not next week, shall I say," he said. Reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli and current F2 title contender Rafael Camara are believed to be in the running, while former Alpine driver Jack Doohan, who joined Haas as a reserve this year, has also been linked.
Komatsu confirmed the team has plenty of interest: "We're in a very fortunate situation. There are so many drivers interested in our seat. Five." This gives Haas the luxury of choosing based on data and performance rather than external pressure.
With this approach, Haas is making it clear they won't sacrifice speed for short-term gain. The final call will hinge on on-track performance, making the second Haas seat one of the most intriguing to watch ahead of 2027.
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