Ocon insists: "Haas may be testing new drivers, but drivers aren’t the problem"

Esteban Ocon has rejected the idea that Haas’s difficult Formula 1 season is being driven by its line-up, insisting that “the drivers are not the problem” as his own future with the team comes under increasing pressure.

The performance gap to Oliver Bearman has nevertheless been significant on paper. Ocon has been outqualified 12-6 and outscored 18-3, although much of Bearman’s points advantage came from his performances in the opening two grands prix. Since the April break, Ocon has outscored his team-mate 2-1, while Haas has gradually slipped further down the competitive order.

Bearman has finished only one race behind Ocon across all grands prix: Hungary. That was also one of the weekends when the inconsistency problem affected the younger driver while Ocon escaped it.

‘When we have the car, we perform’

Ocon said the team is focused on ensuring both cars begin each weekend in a state where they can deliver the expected performance.

“When we got the cars to a healthy state where they can perform, we perform as drivers, as a side of the garage,” he said.

He pointed to Bearman’s contrasting experience at the previous round and the reverse situation in Budapest as evidence that the problem is not confined to one side of the garage. Ocon added that Haas has achieved three consecutive Q2 appearances, even if it has not yet had the pace to reach Q3.

“I feel like I’ve extracted the maximum out of the car that I could, and there was nothing left on the table,” he said. Haas’s Monza development has also been assessed by Bearman, who called the chassis package a larger step than Ferrari’s engine upgrade in his latest comparison.

Ocon’s 2027 position remains uncertain

Ocon’s future has been under scrutiny for months. Haas recently tested reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli and Ferrari junior Rafael Camara in a former F1 car at Portimao as it weighs its options for 2027.

Ocon played down the significance of that programme, saying discussions over his future with Haas are already taking place. He stressed that the team is entitled to test drivers through its TPC programme, but maintained that both current racers are united in trying to extract more from the car.

Haas enters the next phase of the season on a seven-race pointless streak, matching its worst such run since 2021.