Esteban Ocon has delivered a blunt verdict on the challenge facing Formula 1 drivers in 2026, as the grid prepares for pre-season testing.
Haas became the latest team to launch its 2026 challenger on Monday, revealing the VF-26 ahead of next week’s closed Barcelona test.
Anticipation is building ahead of the test as to how the 2026 F1 cars will drive and look on track, given the radical overhaul of design and philosophy.
Ocon and Haas, like all teams and drivers and teams on the grid, have spent extensive time in the simulator planning for new regulations, but are eager to get on track.
The Frenchman is aware of the challenge facing the drivers, from both power unit and car handling, admitting he will have to “forget everything” about F1 in previous years.
“It’s a very particular way of driving the car. There’s going to be a lot more management on the engine side and on the hybrid side,” Ocon said at the Haas launch
“The car itself felt pretty good. The balance was decent, although of course it was our first taste in the simulator, so we need to see how it is in reality, but the level of grip was good.
“Clearly, the biggest change is from the engine side, and that’s going to be the key for us to be prepared. It’s an exciting challenge, and it’s a different way of driving compared to before
” I think we can forget everything that we’ve learned since go-karts on how to go fast, but it will be interesting to learn a new driving style and hopefully find speed with it.”
Esteban Ocon calls 2026 “biggest rule change I’ve ever faced”
Explaining the raft of changes, Ocon admitted he faces an uphill struggle to master the new regulations, but relishes the challenge ahead.
“Clearly, the biggest change is from the engine side, and that’s going to be the key for us to be prepared. It’s an exciting challenge, and it’s a different way of driving compared to before,” he said.
“I think we can forget everything that we’ve learned since go-karts on how to go fast, but it will be interesting to learn a new driving style and hopefully find speed with it.
“This is definitely the biggest rule change I’ve ever faced.
“The first time I drove a Formula 1 car was in the V8 era, then we went to a hybrid system, where I drove one day in Valencia back then and went to Abu Dhabi for FP1.
“It was probably a similar change to what we’ll face now, but as I said, we need to forget everything that has happened before.
“We need to learn everything new again, so I think the experience helps to adapt quickly, but we need to adapt everything.
“All of our senses, how we feel, we’ll need to think a lot more while driving about what to do, to go quicker. It’s exciting, and it’s going to be interesting.”
A shakeup to the competitive order?
Rule changes of this magnitude can reshape the competitive order, with Ocon believing the true picture of pace may not materialise for several races:
“I’d say by the third or fourth race we’ll have some indication, but it won’t be the final pecking order because there’s going to be a lot of development, especially in this first year, ” he said.
“It’s definitely worth taking all the points you can as early as you can, but even if we’re not exactly where we want to be, there are still things to grab in the middle of the season where lots of teams will be bringing updates.”
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