Haas have confirmed Esteban Ocon will leave the team at the end of the 2026 Formula 1 season, ending the Frenchman's two-year spell with the American-owned squad. The announcement came on Wednesday 30 September, with both driver and team confirming the split after months of speculation over the 30-year-old's future.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu thanked Ocon for his contribution since he joined from Alpine at the start of 2025. "His professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grow as an organisation," Komatsu said, adding that Ocon's experience had been significant as Haas developed the VF-26 through the sport's major regulation change this year. The team said it will make no further comment on its driver line-up for the time being.
Ocon said he leaves the 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 had already described himself as a free agent during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, and he insisted his time in Formula 1 is not finished: "I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career."
The timing leaves Ocon facing an uncertain 2027. With eight rounds of the season remaining, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, and few clear openings elsewhere, he may have to settle for a reserve driver role next year before seeking a route back to the grid.
Haas have not named a replacement, but reports point to Rafael Camara, the 21-year-old Brazilian who leads the Formula 2 championship by seven points with two rounds remaining. Camara, like Ocon's teammate Oliver Bearman, belongs to Ferrari's young driver programme, and Haas use Ferrari power units - a combination that would hand the team an all-Ferrari junior line-up in 2027.
Bearman has outperformed Ocon across their two seasons together, leading the intra-team points battle 20-7 and holding a 10-4 advantage in qualifying this year. Ocon's best finish of 2026 was eighth in Azerbaijan, ahead of Bearman, while his best result for Haas remains fifth at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. His only grand prix victory came at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine, the team he left at the end of 2024.
Sources
https://www.racefans.net/2026/09/30/ocon-insists-his-f1-career-is-not-over-as-haas-confirm-he-wont-drive-for-them-in-2027/ https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/13593556/esteban-ocon-haas-driver-to-leave-team-at-end-of-2026-f1-season-after-two-years-with-american-owned-squad
