Former Haas System 1 group principal Guenther Steiner believes that if Esteban Ocon continues in his present type, it is going to be his final yr within the championship.
The Frenchman was handed a 10-second penalty in the course of the Chinese language Grand Prix for inflicting a collision with Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The Haas driver apologised to Colapinto after the race, claiming, “It is my fault, I did a mistake, I misjudged it.”
When requested in the course of the ‘Fuel or Brake’ phase of The Pink Flags Podcast, whether or not this may very well be Ocon’s remaining yr in F1, Steiner mentioned: “Fuel, full gasoline. If he continues like this… If he decides to take Colapinto out like he did in China, for certain it’s his final yr as a result of that is not even a rookie mistake. That is simply dumb, you understand.”
Including to his woes, Ocon was outperformed by his rookie team-mate Oliver Bearman in 2025. Whereas the Briton completed thirteenth within the drivers’ standings, Ocon resulted in fifteenth, albeit with solely three factors separating them.
Up to now in 2026, Bearman has scored 17 factors, inserting him fifth within the drivers’ standings after a seventh-place end within the Australian Grand Prix, an eighth-place end within the Chinese language dash race and a fifth-place end within the Chinese language Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Group
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photographs by way of Getty Photographs
As compared, Ocon sits sixteenth within the standings with zero factors after an Eleventh-place end in Australia, a Tenth-place end within the dash race and a 14th-place end within the Chinese language Grand Prix.
Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with Manor and has since pushed for groups together with Drive India, Renault/Alpine and Haas. He secured his first, and solely, grand prix win on the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine. Over the course of his profession to date, he has additionally scored 4 podium finishes, one quickest lap and 483 factors.
The 29-year-old driver signed a multi-year contract with Haas beginning in 2025.
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