Ocon Insists He Deserves an F1 Seat as 2027 Options Dry Up

Outgoing Haas driver Esteban Ocon says he belongs in Formula 1 and wants five to seven more years on the grid, admitting he would accept a third-driver role if no 2027 race seat materializes.

Ocon Insists He Deserves an F1 Seat as 2027 Options Dry Up

Esteban Ocon is not ready to give up on Formula 1. With Haas confirming last month that it will part ways with the 30-year-old Frenchman at the end of the 2026 season, Ocon told RacingNews365 in an interview published Thursday that he has no interest in leaving grand prix racing for another series. The 2021 race winner was blunt about where he thinks he stands, arguing his results justify his place on the grid. His focus is a racing future that keeps him in Formula 1 for the next five to seven years, and he said he will keep pushing until he is back in the position he wants. Ocon joined Haas in 2025 and currently sits 16th in the 2026 drivers' standings, three places behind teammate Oliver Bearman. His best result this season was eighth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 26, a modest return in a difficult campaign for the American team. If no race seat opens up for 2027, Ocon said he would return to the reserve bench, a role he has held before. He served as Mercedes' reserve driver in 2019 before joining Renault for the 2020 season. For now, though, the Frenchman is fighting to stay where he believes he belongs: racing in Formula 1.