Esteban Ocon confirms that he will be out of his Haas F1 seat in 2027, so is this goodbye to the French driver?

Esteban Ocon’s journey into Formula One is what makes his situation now so heartbreaking as he looses his Haas F1 seat and seeks new opportunities for next season.

Rumours had been circulating the paddock that Ocon had been let go a few months ago, however nothing had been confirmed till the race weekend in Baku, where he told reporters that he would be a ‘free agent’ for 2027. He then confirmed via social media that his “time with Haas F1 team will come to an end at the end of the 2026 season”. He continued with “I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career” giving the world a clear indication that he is still seeking opportunities on the grid.  

The French driver first made his debut into F1 with ‘Manor Racing’ where he replaced the driver Rio Haryanto midseason at the Belgian Grand Prix in 2016. He then raced alongside Sergio Perez with the team ‘Force India’ and ‘Racing Point’ before losing his seat in 2018 after a structural change. He worked a year as a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019 and then found his way back onto the grid with Renault/Alpine. In 2021 he won his first Formula One race at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In 2025 he joined Haas on a 2-year contract with a possibility of an extension. Haas have however made the decision not

to activate the 2027 extension leaving Ocon to finish his two-year contract with the American team.

The decision comes after a string of disappointing results against his teammate Ollie Bearman. Esteban has continuously expressed frustration over the inconsistency of the 2026 car and performance. Speaking to Canal plus in Baku he said, “It’s always me. I’m really fed up with everything, it’s driving me crazy… The performance has been pretty solid for the last few races, but now we’re not capitalizing for various reasons. There are always various reasons, and it’s never for the better”. He had also expressed, “but I don’t deserve all the sh-t I have on my back at the moment that’s been piling up on me since the start of the season”.  

Esteban Ocon grew up in Normandy, France in a working-class family who made immense financial sacrifices to fund his racing career. His father was a mechanic owning a small auto garage and sacrificed his time to build and repair his sons karts through Ocon’s early career. The family worked hard to keep Ocon in racing often making do with anything they could to keep his karts running for competitions, including selling his father’s business and their family home to live in a caravan. Ocon in return worked hard to win many French karting titles and eventually earned his way into F3 in 2014 where he won his first European title (beating now world champion, Max Verstappen). The families hard work and sacrifices began to be rewarded with success as he continued onto the GP3 series and won the championship in his rookie year in 2015. Showing incredible talent, he was selected to join the Mercedes Junior team and made his debut into Formula One the following year.

In a world where money is essential to succeed in the sport, Ocon represents the many drivers who don’t have the financial means and are still working hard to fight for their spot in the racing world.

The driver is no stranger to setbacks, and he has proved many times before his resilience to prove that he deserves and belongs to be in the sport. It is unlikely for him to secure a seat for the 2027 season so he may opt to do a reserve driver role in 2027 or look into other series until he can find his way back onto the grid in 2028 onwards, should the drivers seats reshuffle again.