Ocon’s Haas Departure Puts F1 Future in Doubt

Esteban Ocon's Formula 1 future has been thrown into uncertainty after Haas confirmed the French driver will leave the team at the end of the 2026 season.

Ocon joined Haas in 2025 after previously racing for Manor, Force India and Alpine. He has competed in Formula 1 since 2016 and recorded his only Grand Prix victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine.

The 30-year-old is now facing a fight to secure a place on the 2027 grid, with few obvious opportunities currently available.

Despite the uncertainty, Ocon remains determined to continue his Formula 1 career.

"This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career," Ocon said.

He said he was leaving Haas proud of his performances and remained focused on completing the current season strongly.

"I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in what were not always the easiest of circumstances for various reasons and factors outside of my control," he said.

"My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximise every opportunity, and keep extracting every bit of performance from the car.

"There are still many races to go this season and, as always, I will give it my everything behind the wheel for myself and for my team.

"I am still motivated. I am still hungry."

Ocon's results have been overshadowed by those of Haas team-mate Oliver Bearman since the pair became teammates.

In the current championship, Bearman sits 13th, three places and 13 points ahead of Ocon. The British driver has also out-qualified Ocon 13-6 this season, holding an average qualifying advantage of 0.144 seconds.

The gap was even more pronounced in qualifying last year, when Bearman recorded 18 victories to Ocon's seven across qualifying sessions, with an average advantage of 0.175 seconds.

In the 2025 championship, Bearman finished 13th while Ocon ended the season 15th, with only three points separating them.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu praised Ocon's contribution to the team and his professionalism during their time together.

"Esteban's professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grow as an organisation," Komatsu said.

He also highlighted Ocon's experience during the significant technical changes introduced under the latest regulations.

"Together this year we tackled the challenge of a major regulation change, where Esteban's driving experience and inputs were significant as we've worked hard to develop the VF-26 across the season," he said.

With Haas now set to move on without Ocon for 2027, the Frenchman's remaining races this season will be an opportunity to demonstrate his value to potential future employers as he attempts to extend his Formula 1 career.