Esteban Ocon has described himself as “definitely a free agent” for the 2027 Formula 1 season, confirming he is in talks with other teams as his future at Haas is yet to be decided.
The Frenchman’s future has been the subject of much discussion for a large portion of the 2026 season, having been largely outperformed by teammate Oliver Bearman.
Much of the summer has seen the American squad linked with a host of other drivers, including Ferrari-backed F2 driver, Rafael Camara and McLaren junior Leonardo Fornaroli.
Both men have recently participated in TPC tests, as the so-called F1 ‘silly season’ continues to rumble on, with teams sewing-up its rosters for next season.
Speaking to media in Baku ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Frenchman said aspects of his situation were beyond his control.
“At the moment I’m definitely a free agent for next year,” Ocon said. “There are things in discussion that are out of my control, there are certain topics that are out of my control. So I will keep pushing until the end of the year and see how it goes.”
Asked whether those discussions included other teams, he replied: “Of course, yeah,” and when pressed on whether staying at Haas was still possible, he offered only: “Let’s see.”
Esteban Ocon: Inconsistencies have ‘cost us’
Ocon joined Haas from Alpine in 2025 and has repeatedly argued that inconsistency between the team’s two cars, rather than driver performance, has held back his results this season.
Asked whether that inconsistency was being fairly weighed in the team’s decision, Ocon said the issue had “cost us quite a lot this season” but that the team was not hiding from it.
“Does it matter, really? No, I mean, we are all obviously sad, you know, that this is happening. And this has happened,” he said.
“I would say it has cost us, you know, quite a lot this season. But it’s good that we’re on the same page. We’re not hiding from it.
“And that’s only going to get us to a better position later this year, because we’re all working to fix it when it happens. So that’s good.”
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