Dropped by Haas, Ocon insists Formula 1 is still 'where I belong'

Haas confirmed this week that Esteban Ocon will depart the team at the end of the 2025 season, ending a two-year stint that has been marked by flashes of pace and persistent frustration. Speaking to media in Malaysia, Ocon was unequivocal about his intentions: he is not looking beyond Formula 1.

“My focus is on Formula 1,” Ocon said. “That is clear, that’s where I belong, that’s where I want to be. So I’m not going to look elsewhere. But you never know what can happen in Formula 1 — things move every two seconds. So I’m still working on trying to find a solution for next year.”

Ocon pointed to recent results as evidence that he still merits a seat. “I think we’ve done pretty well in the last races and, for me, that’s the best way to show that I still deserve to be in Formula 1,” he said. “Of course, I need the car [to be competitive], which we didn’t have for many, many races, including last year. So if we have that, it should work, as it did in Baku, as it did in Madrid.”

The 28-year-old joined Haas after five years at Alpine, where he won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix from eighth on the grid before falling out of favour under the management regime led by Flavio Briatore. His time at Haas has been similarly turbulent — capable of strong individual performances but undermined by a car that has struggled with aerodynamic inconsistency and limited development resources.

Team-mate Oliver Bearman has generally extracted better results from the same machinery, a comparison that has not gone unnoticed in the paddock. As one of the least well-funded outfits on the grid, Haas has repeatedly found itself unable to add meaningful performance through in-season updates, compounding the challenge for both drivers.

Ocon’s frustrations with the car have been well-documented. After Friday practice in Abu Dhabi last year, he told Canal+ he “felt like a rookie who’s never driven an F1 car” — only for the issues to clear up over the following days, allowing him to qualify eighth and finish seventh. “For the past 10 races we should have been performing like that,” he said afterwards. “We clearly missed out on something. It leaves a bittersweet taste.”

With his Haas future settled, Ocon now faces the task of securing a drive elsewhere on a grid where seats are scarce. His insistence on remaining in Formula 1 narrows his options considerably, but his record — including that 2021 victory — ensures he will not be short of conversations.