Thursday brought significant activity in the Formula 1 driver market. Rafael Câmara took another step in his preparation to contend for a Haas seat in 2027, while Franco Colapinto secured his place with Alpine and George Russell positioned McLaren as the team to beat at this stage of the season.
The standout Brazilian on the day was Rafa Câmara. Ahead of the Haas evaluation in Portimão, the Pernambuco-born driver took part in a Ferrari test at Mugello driving an older F1 car. Câmara completed a number of laps to acclimate himself to the vehicle’s characteristics and demands, and just a few hours later he left Italy bound for Portugal. He is bidding for Esteban Ocon’s seat alongside Leonardo Fornaroli and Ryo Hirakawa.
At Alpine, Colapinto settled one of the questions for 2027 by renewing with the team and securing continuity alongside Pierre Gasly. The Argentine expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, while Flavio Briatore underscored the importance of consistency and made clear that the current priority is to deliver a car capable of contending for front positions. The confirmation also rules out a potential alternative for Fernando Alonso, who has not yet officially announced his plans for the coming year.
In the pursuit of performance, Russell acknowledged the shift in strength seen in the latest races. Following Lando Norris’s victories in Hungary and the Netherlands, the Mercedes driver stated that McLaren is currently “the team to beat.” Russell believes Monza could favor Mercedes, but also pointed out the possibility of Ferrari gaining strength with a power-unit update.
The same Norris remained in the spotlight as he rebutted criticisms about his starts. After losing the lead to Kimi Antonelli in one of the starts at the Dutch Grand Prix and subsequently reclaiming the position to win, the Brit dismissed the notion that this aspect of his game remains a weakness.
The Haas, on the other hand, is navigating a more fragile phase of the season. Oliver Bearman stated that the team has dropped to the position of the tenth-strongest on the grid, attributing the loss of ground mainly to the difficulty of keeping pace with rivals’ update frequency. Ayao Komatsu also stated that the team is in no rush to decide its 2027 driver lineup, precisely while different candidates continue to be evaluated.
Beyond the direct competition between teams, the new Madrid circuit also drew attention. The early official Formula 3 tests at MADRING recorded 19 red flags and involved ten different drivers in incidents, raising points of focus before Formula 1’s arrival in September.
The day also saw Norris continuing to stand out as he led Pirelli’s Mugello tire tests for the 2027 compounds, working alongside Ayumu Iwasa and Nico Hülkenberg. The activity centered on the harder compounds, while the technical preparations for the sport’s next cycle continue advancing in parallel with the current competition.
