Speaking in Baku, Esteban Ocon left the paddock in no doubt about his position on the 2027 grid.

“At the moment, I’m definitely a free agent for next year,” the Frenchman told reporters, confirming he holds no contract for the season.

Asked whether that meant he was in talks with rival teams, Ocon answered “of course”. Pressed on whether Haas remained a possibility, he offered only a flat “let’s see”.

The option to keep him beyond his current deal, which runs to the end of 2026, has not been triggered, and the team’s attention has moved elsewhere.

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Camara emerges as favourite

Haas has yet to name its second driver alongside Oliver Bearman for 2027. Team principal Ayao Komatsu said during the Spanish Grand Prix that he had “maybe five” candidates on his shortlist, according to Motorsport.com.

Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, the reigning F3 champion and currently second in the 2026 Formula 2 standings, is reported to be the frontrunner. Toyota-backed Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa, who has already completed two Friday practice sessions for the team, is another live option. F2 leader Leonardo Fornaroli has also been named among the realistic candidates.

Ocon was not willing to concede that his own case was closed.

“There are things in discussion that are out of my control and there are certain topics that are out of my control. So I will keep pushing until the end of the year and see how it goes.”

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18 points to three

The numbers explain why Ocon is looking beyond Haas. Bearman has scored 18 points to Ocon’s three across the 2026 campaign, with Ocon’s best result a ninth place in Monaco. The Frenchman argued that the season did not reflect his actual level.

“I’ve performed every time I had the car. I’ve been the last one to score in Monaco. I was almost scoring in Madrid. There’s been a lot of times where I’ve performed when the car was underperforming.”

A crowded market

Speedcafe’s market rundown reports McLaren, Ferrari, Williams, Alpine and Cadillac as settled for 2027, with Mercedes and Audi expected to retain their current pairings. Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull deal has removed another domino from the board.

That leaves the second Racing Bulls seats, Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull place once he returns from injury, Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin future, the 45-year-old is yet to decide whether he wants another year in F1 when his contract expires at the end of 2026, and the Haas vacancy itself. GPFans counts six seats in total still to be filled or formally confirmed.

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Ocon confirmed he was speaking to other teams but declined to name any. Komatsu said in the Netherlands that Haas was “not in any rush” to settle its 2027 line-up.

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