WHY ONE F1 TEST DAY DECIDED A 2027 DRIVER CHOICE

Haas turned an old Portimao test day into an F1 shootout, and Rafael Camara won the seat. The American team's Testing of Previous Cars programme—backed by Toyota—gave Camara, McLaren F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, and Toyota prospect Ryo Hirakawa a real audition in a 2025 Haas. Camara was fastest. Team principal Ayao Komatsu didn't hedge: "He was the quickest. That was a very simple answer."

Without the TPC capability, Komatsu admits Haas probably makes a different call. F2 is hard to read from the outside, and gambling on junior talent without seat time in your own car is risky business for a small team. Camara impressed with raw speed and his feel for shifting conditions lap to lap. Komatsu sees similar potential to Ollie Bearman, who's expected to stay as Camara's 2027 teammate. Haas built the infrastructure to control its own talent pipeline, and it just delivered a driver they believe can grow with the program.