While Max Verstappen was busy signing his life away to Red Bull and Williams tied down its drivers for the foreseeable future, one man’s F1 career has been quietly falling apart in the background. Esteban Ocon’s grip on his Haas seat looks shakier by the week, and according to those watching closely, he might already be out the door.
Jolyon Palmer did not mince his words on F1 TV’s Weekend Warm-Up ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, declaring that Ocon is ‘really in trouble’ at Haas. Given the numbers on the timing sheets this year, it is hard to disagree with him.
Palmer’s Blunt Verdict
Palmer, never one to sugarcoat a driver’s struggles, laid out the situation as bluntly as it deserves.
“I think Esteban is really in trouble. He’s had a bit of a strained relationship now with Haas. He’s not performed and that’s the big seat.” – Jolyon Palmer
Alex Brundle, sitting alongside him on the broadcast, went further and started naming names. Leonardo Fornaroli, last year’s Formula 2 champion, was floated as a candidate. So was Rafael Camara, a name with strong Ferrari backing. Neither of those names is exactly a household one yet, but that is rather the point. Haas does not need a big name in that seat. It needs someone who can actually beat their team-mate.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Ocon joined Haas for 2025 with a reputation as a solid, if unspectacular, midfield operator. What followed was not the redemption arc he presumably had in mind. His rookie team-mate Oliver Bearman finished that debut season 13th in the standings on 41 points, comfortably ahead of Ocon’s 15th place and 38 points. Losing to a rookie once can be filed under bad luck. Losing to him twice starts to look like a pattern.
Because that is exactly what has happened in 2026. Through the first 11 rounds of this season, Bearman sits 13th in the championship with 18 points, while Ocon languishes down in 17th with a meagre three. For context, that puts the Frenchman below Bortoleto of Audi but above Hulkenberg and the winless Aston Martin pairing of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. When your season is being compared favourably to Stroll’s, something has gone seriously wrong.
This is not a small dip in form. This is a driver being consistently and comprehensively outperformed by a team-mate who is still, technically, learning the ropes. Haas did not sign Ocon to be Bearman’s benchmark for how not to drive an F1 car, yet that is effectively what has happened.
Ocon’s Own Words Say Enough
To his credit, Ocon has not hidden from the situation. Speaking before the summer break, he was careful with his words but the subtext was unmistakable.
“Of course nothing to announce yet. The summer break will be quite busy. We will see. At the moment we’re focused on this race and we’ll see what happens. There’s always many options. At the moment we will discuss with the team first. I’ve been here for two years. I’ve been convinced by Ayao [Komatsu] to come here. The first discussion will happen with this team for sure.” – Esteban Ocon
Reading between the lines, that is not the language of a driver who feels secure. ‘There’s always many options’ is the sort of thing you say when you are quietly lining up an exit, not when you are expecting a new deal to land on your desk any day now. The reference to Komatsu convincing him to join in the first place also feels pointed, a reminder that the relationship was built on a promise that has not exactly been delivered on either side.
A Seat Everyone Wants a Piece Of
The timing could not be worse for Ocon. As reported by Motorsport.com, the 2027 grid is filling up fast now that the bigger dominoes have fallen. Verstappen staying at Red Bull until 2030 and both Williams drivers extending their stays has narrowed the field of available seats considerably, and every remaining vacancy is now under a microscope. Haas’s second seat has become one of the most interesting on the grid precisely because it is one of the few genuinely up for grabs, and Ocon knows it.
With Fornaroli’s F2 title credentials and Camara’s Ferrari ties both being talked up as replacements, Haas has options that look considerably more exciting on paper than persisting with a driver currently sitting fourth from bottom in the championship. Team principal Ayao Komatsu built this pairing on the promise of experience meeting raw pace. Right now it looks like neither is showing up when it matters.
The Cynical Take
Ocon’s talk of discussing things with the team first is the polite version of a driver who knows the writing might already be on the wall. Haas has shown before that it is willing to make ruthless calls when performance does not stack up, and three points from eleven races is not the kind of return that buys loyalty in this sport. If Fornaroli or Camara genuinely are waiting in the wings, do not be surprised if Ocon’s ‘many options’ conversation ends up happening somewhere else entirely.
