Ocon backs himself as 'one of the best' after Baku lifts his 2026 season

Esteban Ocon delivered his strongest drive of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, finishing eighth and using the result as a platform to reassert his standing in the sport.

The Haas driver was pipped to seventh by just 0.03 seconds by Arvid Lindblad, yet left the circuit in high spirits after a weekend in which the car performed consistently from the first session. “Super happy with the result,” Ocon said. “When the car is working, that’s what we deserve.”

Ocon credited sharp strategic calls — including a well-timed pitstop and a safety car decision — as well as a late overtake that mirrored a move he had pulled off at Zandvoort earlier in the season. “We took all the right decisions on the pitstop and on the safety car. I did the same overtake I did in Zandvoort, just before the line,” he said.

The result carries added weight given the circumstances surrounding the Frenchman. Ocon is understood to be facing the loss of his Haas seat ahead of 2027, and a yellow flag in qualifying had already cost him a shot at a higher grid position. His relief after the race was palpable.

Asked whether the finish felt like redemption, Ocon was direct: “I can say I deserve that — not all the rest of the shit.”

He then offered a pointed summary of his career record. “I’ve raced with everyone out there, and I’ve always been on par. I won every championship that I’ve raced in. I won races in Formula Renault, I won championships in go-karts, I won European Formula 3, I won GP3, I won in Formula 1. I’m one of the best out there, and I’m not afraid to say it.”

Ocon did quickly qualify the “every championship” claim, and his 2016 DTM half-season — in which he reached the top 10 just once in ten races — is a minor asterisk on an otherwise strong junior résumé. The broader point about his record stands up to scrutiny.

With a triple-header now underway, Ocon is already looking ahead to the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang. “We are going into a very difficult track with a lot of high-speed corners, and we show that we have a car that’s pretty competitive,” he said. “It should be two exciting races for us.”