Overview
- Haas confirmed at the end of September that Esteban Ocon will leave the team after the 2026 season and will not return in 2027.
- Ocon told media on Thursday at the Singapore GP media day that he will stay in Formula 1 next year, he will not race in another category, and he would accept a third/reserve driver role if no full-time seat is available.
- Team choices for 2027 are heavily guided by driver academy ties and private Testing of Previous Cars sessions, a dynamic that has promoted Ferrari-backed Formula 2 leader Rafael Camara as a leading candidate to replace Ocon at Haas.
- Haas’s VF-26 has shown inconsistent performance between cars and weekends this season, and Ocon has been outscored by teammate Ollie Bearman, factors teams say make fair driver comparisons harder.
- With most seats effectively committed, media coverage says Ocon’s realistic near-term paths include a reserve role, a speculative link to Red Bull’s Racing Bulls or a return to Mercedes-affiliated roles, and his willingness to accept non-racing duties keeps him inside F1’s paddock while options are worked on.