Ocon to Leave Haas After 2026 F1 Season — SkimNews
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- Haas and Esteban Ocon jointly confirmed the Frenchman's departure on Wednesday morning after months of speculation, ending a two-year stint that began when he joined from the works Renault/Alpine team for the 2025 season.
- Oliver Bearman has outperformed the 30-year-old Ocon across both their campaigns together, sitting 13th in the Drivers' Championship on 20 points versus Ocon's 16th on 7 points in 2026, with a 10-4 qualifying head-to-head edge this season.
- Ocon wrote on social media that he leaves 'with my head held high' and insisted 'This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career,' though with eight rounds remaining and few clear openings elsewhere, he may have to settle for a reserve driver role in 2027.
- Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu thanked Ocon for his professionalism and called his driving experience 'significant' in developing the VF-26 through what the team described as a major regulation-change season.
- Rafael Camara, a 21-year-old Brazilian Ferrari junior who leads the Formula 2 championship by seven points with two rounds remaining, is expected to replace Ocon alongside Bearman — both drivers contracted to Ferrari, which supplies Haas's power units.
- It is the second time in Ocon's career he faces being without a seat: he served as Mercedes reserve in 2019 before returning to the grid with Renault in 2020, going on to claim his sole grand prix victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Why it matters: Haas appears set for an all-Ferrari-junior lineup in 2027, with F2 championship leader Camara (7-point lead, 2 rounds left) joining the already-confirmed Bearman. Ocon, whose only F1 win came at the 2021 Hungarian GP, now risks a second career stint on the sidelines after two seasons of being outqualified and outscored by his younger teammate.
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