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Ocon says he’s out at Haas but it’s ‘absolutely not the end of my F1 career’
Esteban Ocon has confirmed he is leaving the Haas team at the end of this season, but insists it will not be the end of his career in Formula 1.
The Frenchman had suggested he was a free agent at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with RACER understanding Rafael Camara leads the candidates to join Haas in 2027. Ocon’s departure has now been officially confirmed after two years with the team, with the 30-year-old stating his intent to continue an F1 career that currently stands at 195 starts.
“My time with Haas F1 Team will come to an end at the end of the 2026 season,” Ocon wrote. “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.
“My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximize 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. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career.”
Responding shortly afterwards, Haas confirmed the split at the end of the year, with team principal Ayao Komatsu praising Ocon’s impact on the team’s development.
“I’d like to thank Esteban for everything he’s contributed to the team since joining us in 2025,” Komatsu said. “I’d like to thank Esteban for everything he’s contributed to the team since joining us in 2025. His professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grown as an organization.
“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. There’s still plenty of racing ahead, and our focus remains on working together to maximize every opportunity through to the final race of the year.”
RACER understands there will be no further announcement relating to the Haas driver line-up prior to this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with other options as well as Camara still under consideration.
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
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