Ocon confirms he will leave Haas at end of 2026 season

Esteban Ocon has announced that he is to leave Haas at the end of the 2026 campaign, following weeks of speculation over the Frenchman’s F1 future.

Ocon joined Haas from Alpine for 2025, joining forces with Ferrari-backed rookie Ollie Bearman and continuing alongside the Briton through the current campaign.

He has scored 12 points finishes across 39 Grands Prix with the team so far, including a best result of fifth in China last year – his second event at Haas.

On Wednesday, ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, Ocon took to social media to confirm his Haas departure, with no word yet on what he will do next.

“My time with Haas F1 Team will come to an end at the end of the 2026 season,” read a statement posted by Ocon.

“I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in what were not always the easiest of circumstances for various reasons and factors outside of my control.

“My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximise every opportunity, and keep extracting every bit of performance from the car.

“There are still many races to go this season and, as always, I will give it my everything behind the wheel for myself and for my team.”

He signed off: “I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career.”

Following Ocon’s post, Haas released a statement of their own, including comments from Team Principal Ayao Komatsu – while noting that they will not be sharing further driver-related news “at this time”.

“I’d like to thank Esteban for everything he’s contributed to the team since joining us in 2025,” said Komatsu. “His professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grow as an organisation.

“Together this year we tackled the challenge of a major regulation change, where Esteban’s driving experience and inputs were significant as we’ve worked hard to develop the VF-26 across the season.

“There’s still plenty of racing ahead, and our focus remains on working together to maximise every opportunity through to the final race of the year.”

Ferrari junior and FIA Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara is the favourite to take Ocon’s seat, after facing competition from the likes of McLaren reserve driver Leo Fornaroli and Haas reserves Jack Doohan and Ryo Hirakawa.