– The future of Esteban Ocon at Haas is still unclear. While some rumors surround the occupation of his cockpit next season, the Frenchman is experiencing a difficult season, marked by some inconsistencies with his car, which is why he doesn’t stand a chance in the duel with Oliver Bearman.
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“Of course, there’s nothing to announce yet,” Ocon says in Hungary when asked about his future, emphasizing that the summer break could be quite busy. Before that, however, the race at the Hungaroring is still on the agenda. “Right now, we’re focusing on this race and then we’ll see what happens.”
Ocon’s preferred option for 2027 would be to stay with Haas. “I was convinced by Ayao [Komatsu, Team Principal; Ed. note] to come here back then. The first conversation will certainly take place with this team,” he says. But: “There are always many options.”
If he wants to stay in Formula 1, he will probably have to do a lot of convincing. Sportingly, Ocon is experiencing an extremely difficult season, in which he is clearly behind teammate Oliver Bearman.
However, the Frenchman is probably being slowed down by some inconsistencies in the car that are beyond his control. Ocon claimed this in Belgium, at least, which is also confirmed by Team Principal Komatsu. These doubts make Ocon’s deficit appear in a different light and do not necessarily make Haas’s decision for 2027 any easier.
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“Of course, yes,” Komatsu replies when asked if these difficulties in seeing the true picture make the decision harder. “I wish something would make the decision easier for me. But at least I know exactly what’s happening. So I can put everything into the right context.”
When the choice for the 2027 cockpits will be made is still open. According to reports, Rafael Camara, Leonardo Fornaroli, and Yuki Tsunoda are said to be hot contenders for Ocon’s cockpit, but Komatsu is not fazed by rumors: “Rumors are rumors,” he dismisses.
“People just write what they want, right? So people can speculate whatever they want. When I read some articles… some people actually think Yuki Tsunoda is our reserve driver. It’s incredible, isn’t it?”
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“So why should I get involved in such conversations, right? So if you just want to write rumors and gossip, please write whatever you want.”
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