Signed as the steady, experienced head at a young Haas team, Esteban Ocon now finds that role working against him. Six months into 2026, teammate Ollie Bearman has racked up 18 points to Ocon's three, and the paddock has started penning his name into the 2027 exit column.
Team boss Ayao Komatsu has been candid that no one at Haas is happy with Ocon's results, and the qualifying record only sharpens the point. Former grand prix driver Karun Chandhok spelled it out on the Sky Sports F1 Show. "He will be feeling twitchy, won't he?" Chandhok said. "He's now down 8-3 in qualifying across all the situations that you can compare them. That's not a good score."
Ocon disputes the narrative. "There will always be talks when people look at the picture," he said, "but when you look deep inside, and knowing why I don't have many points this year, and all of these things, well it gets more clear." He blames the car, not himself: "We know that we are doing the right work. Now, it just needs to pay off." On his future, he refused to be drawn: "I don't know. We are into race, what, seven, eight? I need to focus on the job."
Leading the queue for his seat is Leonardo Fornaroli, the 21-year-old reigning Formula 2 champion and McLaren reserve who caught the eye during a Haas outing. Komatsu spoke highly of him: "Leo is the reigning F2 champion, he is a strong driver and has a really good training program with McLaren, so we are happy with the chance to take a closer look at him." McLaren chief Andrea Stella has gone further still: "When he gets in a car, be it a simulator, be it in the TPC car, or in a free practice one session, he is fast." Komatsu summed the arrangement up plainly — "Clearly what McLaren's doing with Leo is a very good programme."
He is not alone in the frame. Ferrari is lobbying for Rafael Camara, third in this year's F2 standings, and Chandhok would pick the Brazilian ahead of the more seasoned names in circulation. "Is Tsunoda an upgrade? I would go for Camara," he said. "If they were going to change it, go for a young hotshot." Toyota's multiple World Endurance champion Ryo Hirakawa, connected to Haas via the team's growing Toyota ties, is another option, along with reserve Jack Doohan and Yuki Tsunoda.
Chandhok tied it all back to Bearman, a Ferrari asset who could be promoted before long. "Bearman's got experience now. By the time we get to next season, he would be in his third year," he said. "If Ollie does get promoted down the line, they've got Camara to step into that role."
For now Komatsu is publicly non-committal, stressing that his attention stays on his current drivers. But with the stopwatch siding against Ocon, the onus falls on the Frenchman to turn things around before the summer shutdown — or lose his place to a driver ten years his junior.
