Esteban Ocon will be forced to look for a new home outside of Haas starting in 2027.
French racing driver Esteban Ocon will part ways with Haas after the 2026 Formula 1 season. This development, which was expected for a few weeks now, was confirmed by Ocon himself.
Through his official X account, the Frenchman announced that he will be leaving the Haas F1 Team due to reasons that were "outside of his control." He will continue giving his best efforts for the remaining races in the calendar, and reiterated that it's "not the end of his Formula 1 career."
Prior to this confirmation, Ocon already said that he's still one of the best drivers on the grid, and that his F1 journey isn't ending anytime soon.
However, the Frenchman might find it very difficult to find a seat on the main grid next season, with most teams securing their 2027 driver lineup.
Ocon's brief, forgettable Haas stint
After a longer stint at Alpine, Ocon joined Haas in 2025. He started the year with his new team on a good note, scoring points in two of the first four races. That included a fifth-place finish in the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix and an eighth-place finish in the Bahrain GP. He would score in five more races the rest of the year.
Interestingly, that P5 finish in China is also Ocon's best result in a Haas uniform so far.
Still, Ocon scored three points less than his rookie teammate Oliver Bearman in 2025. It was a harsh reality for the Frenchman, but he had another shot at beating his teammate in 2026.
However, this year hasn't been very good for Ocon, either. Through 15 races, he still trails Bearman, 20-7. He has shown some signs of life as of late, though. Ocon was so close to scoring points with a P11 finish at Madrid, then broke through with his season-best P8 finish at Baku.
Despite his year-end departure, Ocon would still want to end his Haas campaign on a good note. The car has been improving in pace recently, so there's a huge opportunity for him to score more points.
What's next for the French driver?
The Racing Bulls are the only team on the grid that has available seats for 2027. But it's hard to imagine that team choosing a driver outside of their current trio of candidates of Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Formula 2 championship leader Nikola Tsolov.
Ocon might hope to land a reserve driver seat, but there's also a path for him leading to the World Endurance Championship (WEC). Haas's technical partnership with Toyota makes it a viable option for the 30-year-old driver.
Winning Le Mans right after leaving F1? That's a salivating prospect for Ocon.
