Esteban Ocon is fighting to save his Formula 1 career after the Haas team announced it was parting ways with the Frenchman at the end of the year.
Ocon, who won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine, joined Haas in 2025. He has been in F1 since 2016 and has also driven for the Manor and Force India teams.
There is no obvious place for Ocon on the grid in 2027, but he insisted: “This is absolutely not the end of my career in Formula 1.”
The 30-year-old added in a statement on social media: “I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performance in circumstances that have not always been the easiest for various reasons and factors beyond my control.
“My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximize every opportunity and continue to extract all the performance from the car.”
“There are still many races left this season and, as always, I will give everything behind the wheel for myself and my team.
“I’m still motivated. I’m still hungry.”
Ocon has been outplayed by teammate Oliver Bearman since joining Haas last year.
This year, the Briton is 13th in the championship, three places and 13 points ahead of Ocon. Bearman outqualified Ocon 13-6 with an average advantage of 0.144 seconds.
Last year, Bearman finished 13th and Ocon 15th, separated by just three points, and in qualifying it was 18-7 by 0.175 seconds.
Ayao Kumatso, Haas Team Principal, said: “Esteban’s professionalism and commitment have proven invaluable as we continue to grow as an organization.
“Together this year we faced the challenge of a major regulation change, where Esteban’s driving experience and contribution were significant as we worked hard to develop the VF-26 throughout the season.”
Gn sports
