French Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon announced his departure from Haas at the end of the 2026 season, vacating a cockpit for 2027 that features Brazilian championship contender Rafael Câmara as the primary candidate. The confirmation closes a two-year stint for the Frenchman at the American squad based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, ahead of an expected decision on who will partner Oliver Bearman.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu confirmed the split through an official statement on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, stating that the identity of the second driver for the 2027 grid will be revealed at a later stage. Ocon shared his own statement publicly at 08:14 UTC, reflecting on his time with the team while underlining his intent to compete at the highest level of motorsport.

Read also: Rafael Câmara impresses Haas and surpasses Oliver Bearman in Formula 1 test

Esteban Ocon reflects on two-year tenure with Haas

“My time with the Haas team in F1 will come to an end at the end of the 2026 season. I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in circumstances that were not always the easiest, for various reasons and factors beyond my control,” Ocon stated. “My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximizing every opportunity and extracting every drop of performance from the car.”

Komatsu acknowledged the contribution of the French race winner, who joined the outfit for the 2025 campaign to assist with the technical overhaul and chassis progress. “I’d like to thank Esteban for everything he’s contributed to the team since joining us in 2025. His professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grow as an organisation. Together this year we tackled the challenge of a major regulation change, where Esteban’s driving experience and inputs were significant as we’ve worked hard to develop the VF-26 across the season,” said Komatsu.

Internal numbers across Esteban Ocon Haas campaign

Ocon entered Haas alongside Bearman at the beginning of 2025, taking over the positions left by Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. Across 39 race starts with the team leading up to the announcement, Ocon scored a top finish of fifth place at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, but faced a competitive challenge from his British teammate in both seasons.

See also: Rafael Câmara consolidates himself as the favorite for Haas’ place in Formula 1 in 2027

• 195: Career Formula 1 race starts by Esteban Ocon across his ten seasons in the championship
• 490: Total points scored by Esteban Ocon over his Formula 1 career
• 39: Grands Prix contested by Esteban Ocon as a Haas driver through September 2026
• 5th place: Highest race result recorded by Ocon with the American outfit, earned at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix
• 41 to 38: Final championship points tally in 2025 favoring Oliver Bearman over Esteban Ocon at Haas
• 20 to 7: Points advantage held by Bearman against Ocon in the 2026 season standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
• 13 to 6: Qualifying head-to-head score in 2026 favoring Bearman over Ocon

Rafael Câmara emerges as frontrunner for Haas 2027 cockpit

Rafael Chaves Câmara, an active member of the Ferrari Driver Academy competing for Invicta Racing, has emerged as the leading contender to take the vacant seat alongside Bearman. The Brazilian driver reached the top of the 2026 Formula 2 standings following the round in Baku, Azerbaijan, reinforcing his junior category momentum after claiming consecutive championship titles in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2024 and the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2025.

Haas evaluated several external options through private Testing of Previous Cars sessions to weigh up choices for the future. Reserve driver Jack Doohan took part in these evaluation runs and remains a recognized alternative under internal consideration, whereas junior category drivers Leonardo Fornaroli and Ryō Hirakawa were ultimately ruled out of contention by team management during the selection process.

Esteban Ocon career background across Formula 1

Ocon made his Formula 1 debut in August 2016 with Manor Racing, replacing Rio Haryanto starting from the Belgian Grand Prix, before securing a full-time seat at Force India for 2017. Following a year on the sidelines as a reserve driver in 2019, he joined the Enstone-based Renault squad, which rebranded as Alpine. During his five seasons with the French team, Ocon took his maiden Formula 1 victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and collected four career podium finishes, with his last top-three appearance occurring at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix.

The definitive signing and formal announcement of Câmara as a Haas race driver for 2027 have not been finalized by the American organization, nor has Ocon confirmed his racing program for 2027. Track action for the current championship resumes on Friday, October 2, 2026, with the opening free practice sessions of the next Formula 1 grand prix weekend.