Esteban Ocon’s F1 future at Haas is seriously at stake! Reportedly, the American team is letting several young talents take part in action in Portugal this week during a special TPC test. In a so-called shout-out, among others, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ryō Hirakawa, and Rafael Câmara compete against regular driver Oliver Bearman. The latter has already been prepared by Ferrari in recent days, with a separate TPC test at Mugello.
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Various Italian media reported that Haas has rented the Portimão circuit from Wednesday to Friday for a series of tests. McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli and Ferrari talent Rafael Câmara are allowed to gain mileage, as well as regular test and reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa. Oliver Bearman is also said to be part of it. He serves as a benchmark for the young talents, all of whom are vying for a permanent race seat at Haas. Given Esteban Ocon’s current results, it is likely that the Americans will part ways with the Frenchman next year and therefore need to look for a replacement.
Rafael Câmara
McLaren, Red Bull, and Audi already tested on Thursday at Mugello with the new Pirelli tires for 2027. At the same time, Ferrari conducted a TPC test with Câmara, who was able to familiarize himself with the systems and procedures of a modern F1 car behind the wheel of the SF-25. The 21-year-old Brazilian was also able to further sharpen his driving skills. Câmara is expected to take action for the first time in Portugal on Friday.
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Câmara is considered one of the greatest talents within the Ferrari Driver Academy and crowned himself champion in Formula 3 last season. He continues that progress in Formula 2: with 145 points, he is currently third in the championship, just 22 points behind leader Nikola Tsolov. A strong test at Portimão can thus be an important step towards his ambition to be on the Formula 1 grid in 2027. Leonardo Fornaroli is part of McLaren’s training school and, after several FP1 appearances, is also aiming for a permanent F1 seat. McLaren CEO Zak Brown previously stated that the Italian is ready for the leap to the top class.
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