F1 star on verge of team exit after startling admission

Esteban Ocon has admitted he is on the cusp of leaving F1 after admitting he has no deal in place to continue.

Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with the now defunct Manor team and aside from one year as a Mercedes test driver in 2019 has been on the grid full-time ever since.

But the Frenchman's time in the sport could be coming to an end after he revealed that he did not have an F1 seat for 2027.

Right now, the 30-year-old is in his second season with Haas and while refusing to rule out a new deal with the team, he admits to assessing his options elsewhere.

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Esteban Ocon's uncertain F1 future

Ocon said: "Yes, at the moment I am definitely a free agent for next year.

"There are things in discussion that are out of my control and there are certain topics that are out of my control. So I will keep pushing until the end of the year and see how it goes."

When asked on the Haas option to stay, Ocon remained coy stating: "Let's see."

Ocon has struggled this term, gaining only three points compared to Ollie Bearman's 18.

More doubt surround Ocon's future with Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu admitting that he had 'five drivers' in mind when assessing the team's 2027 options.

The front runner at the moment appears to be F3 champion and current F2 title contender Rafael Camara, who has impressed not just Haas chief Gene Haas but also Ferrari, as part of their young driver development programme.

Haas are one of three teams yet to confirm their driver lineup for next year, although the team are likely to keep another Ferrari development driver in Bearman who has impressed in his two years with the team.

Ocon's F1 career at a glance

After nine races with Manor, Ocon joined Force India for the next two seasons as they merged into the Racing Point, developing a huge intra-team rivalry with Sergio Perez.

Once Lawrence Stroll bought the team though, Ocon was replaced by Stroll's son Lance, forcing him to take year out as a Mercedes reserve driver.

In 2020, he returned with Renault, staying with them as they became Alpine in 2021, the season where he took his only win after triumphing at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ocon left the team under a cloud at before the final race of the 2024 season following a heated rivalry with team-mate Pierre Gaslyand breakdown in relations with the team, before joining Haas for 2025.

Included with his one victory he has four podiums and a fastest lap from the 2024 United States Grand Prix from his 194 grands prix heading into this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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Written by

Dan Ripley - Global Editor

I've been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.

View full biography

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