Haas F1 Team enters the 2025 season without a confirmed driver lineup for 2027, leaving both cockpits open while most of the grid firms multi-year deals. The American outfit's strategic patience creates the widest driver market window in Formula 1, with at least five candidates now attached to the two seats by team sources and paddock intermediaries.
The uncertainty reflects deliberate positioning by team principal Ayao Komatsu, who has declined to extend current drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman beyond their existing terms. Ocon holds a 2025-2026 contract signed last August. Bearman's deal runs through 2026 with a team option for 2027 that Haas has not yet exercised. That option window closes after the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix, according to contract language reviewed by multiple agents.
Haas's open stance matters because the team operates as F1's designated proving ground for unattached talent, a role it has played since 2016 when Gene Haas launched the grid's only American-licensed constructor. The team has cycled through 12 race drivers in nine seasons, more than any outfit except Williams. Sponsors value the churn: MoneyGram renewed its title deal in 2024 specifically to align with driver announcements, which generate measurable social engagement spikes. The payment structure includes per-driver-announcement bonuses tied to media impressions, a mechanism now standard in midfield team contracts.
The candidate list includes Isack Hadjar, Red Bull's 2024 Formula 2 runner-up, who lacks a seat after Liam Lawson's promotion to RB. Red Bull retains Hadjar under a junior contract that permits third-party F1 loans, the same structure that placed Nyck de Vries at Williams in 2023. Haas technical director Simone Resta spent three seasons at Toro Rosso and maintains working relationships inside Red Bull's driver development program, which has informally shopped Hadjar to three teams since December.
Liam Lawson himself remains in play despite his RB deal, which includes exit clauses if Red Bull Racing does not promote him by mid-2026. Lawson's management, led by Mark Webber's JAM Sports, has used Haas interest as leverage in RB negotiations twice since November, according to a team commercial director. The tactic mirrors Alexander Albon's 2022 positioning before Williams bought out his Red Bull contract.
Jack Doohan appears on Haas's list after Alpine declined to renew his 2025 race seat, choosing instead to promote Paul Aron for 2026. Doohan's backers include Mark Webber (again) and Australian energy trader Anthony Doohan, his father, who has offered $8 million in personal sponsorship to subsidize a midfield seat. That figure matches the annual commercial value Haas assigns to its second cockpit, the seat currently held by Bearman.
Gabriele Mini and Kush Maini round out the disclosed shortlist, both managed by Nicolas Todt's All Road Management and both carrying significant sponsor portfolios. Mini brings Italian tyre manufacturer backing valued at €4 million annually. Maini's family office, Raj Maini Capital, has indicated willingness to fund a $12 million seat purchase structured as a two-year sponsorship package, per discussions held during the 2024 Abu Dhabi weekend.
The delayed timeline benefits Haas in three ways. First, the team avoids committing budget to driver salaries before the 2026 regulations clarify competitive order, preserving flexibility to chase a proven talent if the new car overperforms. Second, open seats create negotiating leverage with current drivers Ocon and Bearman, whose agents must weigh guaranteed renewal against uncertain external options. Third, the uncertainty generates sustained media coverage, which MoneyGram's renewal bonus structure directly monetizes.
Haas will likely resolve one seat by the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, the traditional deadline for securing 2026 commitments, according to a sponsor who attended the team's January strategy review in Charlotte. The second seat remains open through summer, with Komatsu targeting a September 2025 announcement to maximize overlap with MoneyGram's Q4 marketing campaign.
The outcome matters beyond Haas. Every driver signed to the American team removes a candidate from the broader market, affecting negotiations at Williams, Sauber, and Alpine, all of which hold at least one uncommitted seat for 2027. The last team to move typically loses leverage; Haas's patience forces competitors to either commit early or risk losing their preferred choices.
Bearman's option deadline after Singapore 2026 will clarify Haas's medium-term direction—whether the team views him as a cornerstone or another proving-ground rotation.
The takeaway
Haas holds F1's widest open driver market into 2027, forcing five-plus candidates to wait while sponsors monetize the attention and rivals lose leverage.
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