Esteban Ocon has admitted he is a “free agent” for the F1 2027 season, with his Haas future still unresolved as discussions continue over the team’s driver line-up.
Ocon faces competition for his seat, with several drivers, including Haas reserve driver Jack Doohan, linked to his seat for next season.
Esteban Ocon a ‘free agent’ as F1 future remains uncertain
A one-time Grand Prix winner, Ocon has scored just three points in F1 2025 while teammate Oliver Bearman has amassed 18.
It leaves the 30-year-old under pressure, not helped by Haas’ TPC programme, which recently ran an outing for Doohan, Ryo Hirakawa, and Rafael Camara.
“At the moment, I’m definitely a free agent for next year,” Ocon told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Azerbaijan.
“There are things in discussions that are out of my control. There are certain topics that are out of my control.
“I will keep pushing until the end of the year and see how it goes.”
Officially, Haas is one of just three teams yet to confirm its F1 2027 driver pairing, with Aston Martin and Racing Bulls in the same camp.
At Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson are favourites to carry on for a second season together at the Red Bull junior team.
Lance Stroll is expected to remain at Aston Martin, with Fernando Alonso’s looking increasingly likely to continue for another season.
Alonso’s drive is therefore the only realistic vacancy outside of the seat Ocon currently occupies.
Asked if there were discussions ongoing with teams aside from Haas, Ocon admitted “of course.”
However, when asked if remaining at Haas was an option for next season, he offered a non-committal “let’s see.”
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Ocon made his F1 debut with Manor in the second half of 2016, before joining Haas for a two-year stint before losing his drive following Lawrence Stroll’s acquisition of the operation.
A year on the sidelines with Mercedes followed before partnering Daniel Ricciardo at Renault for what became a five-year stint with the Enstone operation that netted victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
That relationship soured and he ultimately left the squad before the end of 2024 ahead of a switch to Haas for the following campaign.
Alongside his sole grand prix win, Ocon has four podiums and almost 500 points from 194 race starts.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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Originally published by Planet F1 —
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