Haas testing youngsters as the 2027 driver market starts to harden

Haas has completed its latest Testing of Previous Cars run with Ryo Hirakawa, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara, and the timing is telling. According to the sources, the team is already one of the few to have officially settled its 2026 Formula 1 line-up, which means this test is less about next season and more about shaping the decisions that follow.

That distinction matters because the 2027 silly season is already picking up speed since the end of the summer break. The reports say the market has moved early, and Haas appears to be using TPC running to stay ahead of that curve rather than chase it later. For a team that has often had to work harder than some rivals to secure the drivers it wants, early evaluation is a sensible way to avoid being boxed in when the market becomes more competitive.

The names involved also hint at the kind of exercise this was. Hirakawa brings experience from outside the current F1 grid, while Fornaroli and Camara represent younger options whose long-term trajectories are still developing. The sources do not say Haas is close to making a 2027 choice, and they do not identify any favourite. They do, however, show a team deliberately widening its view of the driver pool while much of the paddock is only beginning to think about how the market may reshape itself for 2027.

That approach fits the position Haas is in. With its 2026 line-up already officially decided, it is one of the few teams able to look beyond next season without first solving its immediate driver situation. That sort of clarity can be valuable in a market that is moving early, because it allows a smaller team to gather information, compare options and understand what kind of succession plan it might need before pressure builds. The sources do not suggest any contracts are close or any move is imminent, only that Haas is taking the opportunity to assess options while others may still be waiting for the picture to settle.