F1 star under pressure as THREE drivers fight for 2027 seat

Ocon and Verstappen in Brazil — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 star under pressure as THREE drivers fight for 2027 seat

Esteban Ocon could find himself axed entirely from the grid

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 19 June 2026 16:59 Updated: 17:07

There are three young drivers all vying to replace one of the F1 grid's most experienced racers for 2027, according to reports in Italian media.

Esteban Ocon is one of several drivers who is due to be out of contract at the end of this year, and there is no certainty that Haas will sign him on for another year, having struggled up against Oliver Bearman since joining the team in 2025.

2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner Ocon is currently in his 10th season as a full-time F1 driver, and he raced for the likes of Force India and Alpine before joining Haas.

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Haas themselves share a good relationship with Ferrari, and reports circling last week suggested that Ferrari are putting pressure on Haas to put 2025 F3 champion and junior driver Rafael Camara into the seat alongside Bearman for 2027.

However, AutoRacer.it are claiming that there are two other drivers who hold a very good chance of a seat at Haas, including one driver who made their F1 session debut in Barcelona last time out.

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Will F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli get a chance in F1?

2025 F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli is a McLaren junior driver, and took part in FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last weekend, finishing top of the seven rookies who took to the track in that session.

Fornaroli was then given the chance to get behind the wheel of older Haas F1 machinery as part of the squad's two-day Testing of Previous Cars programme (TPC) earlier this week, and AutoRacer.it are reporting that the young Italian is a serious consideration to replace Ocon.

But it doesn't appear to be just a straight fight between Camara and Fornaroli, McLaren and Ferrari.

According to the above publication, Haas are also interested in former F1 racer Yuki Tsunoda, who was axed from a full-time seat in the sport at the end of 2025.

Tsunoda raced for five full seasons in F1, most of them with Red Bull's sister team, although he did compete in 22 grands prix for Red Bull last season, before being axed entirely.

Haas' new partnership with Japanese car manufacturer Toyota is cited as a reason for their interest in Tsunoda, with there being a desire to get the Japanese racer back onto the grid.

Will Ocon still be in F1 in 2027?

Ocon was axed by Alpine for poor performance before the 2024 season had even concluded, instead joining Haas, but he has since struggled.

Ocon finished behind Bearman in the drivers' championship last year, despite Bearman being in his rookie season, and he is once again behind the Brit in 2026.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu said that 'nobody was satisfied' with Ocon's performance in 2025, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be given a contract extension with the team.

Ocon is due to be out of contract at the end of this year, and will need to prove his worth to the team in order to be handed an 11th season in F1.

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F1 Yuki Tsunoda Haas Esteban Ocon