Ocon seeks reserve role after Haas exit, with 2027 race seat in doubt

Esteban Ocon is looking for a Formula 1 reserve role after Haas ended his 2026 season early. He already faced slim prospects of a race seat for 2027, according to BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson, who reports that Racing Bulls and Cadillac, the teams with potential vacancies, are not thought to be interested.

Ocon had been due to leave Haas at the end of 2026, but the team confirmed on Tuesday that he would not return after being stood down in Mexico City. Brazilian rookie Rafael Camara, already signed by Haas for 2027, will replace him at this weekend's São Paulo Grand Prix.

During Friday's second practice in Mexico City, Ocon objected over the radio when race engineer Laura Mueller told him his race-simulation run was being switched from soft tyres to mediums. He told Mueller: “I wanted the soft.” Benson reports a falling-out with team principal Ayao Komatsu after the session, though the precise reason for Haas's decision remains unknown. Reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa replaced Ocon for the rest of the weekend.

Ocon said on Saturday that a difference of viewpoints had led to a discussion, but rejected allegations of physical violence. His statement followed a report by French newspaper L'Équipe that a meeting with Komatsu may have become physical. In Tuesday's Haas statement, Komatsu described the conversations with Ocon as an internal matter.

Benson believes this setback could prove more final than Ocon's previous spell without a race seat in 2019. He points to the Frenchman's reputation for difficult relationships with teams and team-mates, and says he was slower on average than Oliver Bearman at Haas in 2025 and 2026. The pair collided near the end of the 2025 British Grand Prix.

After losing his seat at the former Force India team, Ocon spent 2019 as a Mercedes reserve and returned to race for Renault in 2020. The team became Alpine in 2021, the year Ocon won the Hungarian Grand Prix — his only F1 victory in 198 grands prix since his 2016 debut.

In Hungary, team-mate Fernando Alonso held Lewis Hamilton back for ten laps, helping to protect Ocon's lead. Their relationship subsequently deteriorated, and the pair clashed in Brazil in 2022, shortly before Alonso left Alpine.