Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Leonardo Fornaroli’s two-day Haas test at Jerez on June 17 and 18 has sharpened speculation that the reigning Formula 2 champion is emerging as a serious contender for a full-time Formula 1 seat with the team in 2027.
The significance was not just that Haas gave mileage to a 21-year-old prospect with back-to-back titles in Formula 3 and Formula 2, the latter won in his rookie season. It was that the team used a private TPC outing to assess a driver who is part of McLaren’s development program, a move that quickly stood out in the paddock.
That attention was heightened by the nature of Haas’s private testing. The sessions are described as being supervised by Toyota and usually focused on promoting Japanese young drivers, which made Fornaroli’s appearance at Jerez an unusual signal that Haas’s longer-term driver planning is already active.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, speaking during the Austrian Grand Prix, stopped short of framing the test as a step toward a contract but made clear the team valued the opportunity. “I don’t know where this will lead us, but the aim of our TPC program is to give opportunities to young drivers,” Komatsu said. “Leo is the reigning F2 champion. He is a solid driver and he has an excellent development program with McLaren, so we are delighted to have the opportunity to evaluate him more closely.”
Komatsu also tried to cool any suggestion that Haas is preparing an imminent change to its race lineup. “I don’t know if we need a new one, as my attention is focused on our two current drivers,” he said.
Fornaroli is not the only name linked to Haas’s future plans. Jack Doohan, Yuki Tsunoda and Rafael Camara have also been mentioned in connection with the team’s 2027 options, but the Jerez test has given Fornaroli the clearest visible push yet in a contest that appears to have started well before any seat is open.