BANBURY, England (AP) — Esteban Ocon has confirmed he is leaving the Haas team at the end of the season while adding it's “absolutely not” the end of his time in Formula 1.
Ocon called himself a “free agent” for 2027 last week and his latest comments on Instagram on Wednesday gave no word of where he might end up next.
“I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in what were not always the easiest of circumstances for various reasons and factors outside of my control,” he said in comments ahead of this week's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
"I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career."
Ocon is coming off a season-best finish of eighth in Azerbaijan on Saturday, but that was only his third top-10 result of the season. With seven points in 2026, he has less than half of teammate Oliver Bearman's 20.
The French driver made his race debut in 2016 and took his sole F1 win with Alpine in 2021. He's dropped off the starting grid before. He was replaced at the end of 2018 at Racing Point and spent the following year as a Mercedes reserve before joining Alpine in 2020.
Haas team principal Ayao Komnatsu thanked Ocon for his “professionalism and commitment” in a statement as the team indicated it doesn’t plan to announce a replacement yet.
Formula 2 standings leader Rafael Câmara is part of the junior driver program at Haas’ engine supplier Ferrari and is considered a candidate for a move into F1 in 2027. Ryo Hirakawa is backed by Haas partner Toyota and has driven two practice sessions for the team this season.
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