'Within the next couple of weeks' – Komatsu reveals timeline for Haas 2027 driver line-up decision

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu claims that an announcement about the team's 2027 driver line-up will come "within the next couple of weeks", but that no decision has been made yet regarding Esteban Ocon's future.

Ocon has faced speculation throughout much of the season on whether he would be retained by Haas, with the Frenchman stating ahead of this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he was "definitely a free agent for next year".

Speaking in Thursday's press conference, Komatsu addressed Ocon's comment and said that no decision had yet been made by the American team.

"We haven't made any decision yet but every driver has a closing point in the year to decide on options," said Komatsu.

"[It] just means we haven't decided on that option yet, but that was quite a long time ago. His situation hasn't really changed, we're still trying to find what we're going to do for next year."

When asked when a decision would be made, Komatsu added: "Soon, within the next couple of weeks. We've done all the evaluation, we're just waiting to summarise our findings, have a discussion internally with Gene [Haas] and make the final decision."

While Ollie Bearman is expected to be retained by Haas for next year, his team mate could be one of several candidates.

Reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, F2 race winner and F3 champion Rafael Camara, as well as Haas reserve drivers Jack Doohan and Ryo Hirakawa, have all tested with the team in recent weeks and been assessed.

Komatsu made it clear that whichever driver Haas decides to go with, they would need to have natural speed and immerse themselves in the team.

"What we're looking for in a driver, first and foremost, is the guy needs to have speed, the guy needs to be fast," he said.

"That's something that is their talent. We cannot teach them the speed, so [they] need to be fast, but really [they] need to be a team player and especially for a small team like us.

"The two drivers, the integration into the team, how they motivate and drive the team, is very important. It's got to be a character that is very important for us, but I think it's the same for any team, but maybe more for us like a small team."