Esteban Ocon’s first words after Haas F1 exit news: ‘Not the way it should be’

Esteban Ocon says “it’s not really the way it should be”, in response to confirmation that he will not be a Haas Formula 1 driver in 2027.

The one-time F1 race winner’s time in the series looks all but over, after Haas announced ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia that it would be parting ways with him at the end of the year.

The news came just days after he told the media in Azerbaijan that “I deserve to be here”, amid strong reports that he would be dropped by Haas.

Speaking in Malaysia ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon insists that there are still opportunities for him to explore for 2027, while insisting that he is not looking outside of F1 for a seat.

“My focus is on Formula 1,” he told reporters at Sepang.

“That is clear, that’s where I belong, that’s where I want to be.

“I’m not going to look elsewhere. That’s very clear.”

Ocon had been linked to a potential Cadillac move for 2027, though it appears that Valtteri Bottas will continue with the American outfit next year.

Rumours had also surfaced this week that Ocon was set to move to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota.

However, reputable sportscar media have shot down this speculation.

Ocon added that he is not facing “a 2019 yet”, in reference to losing his place with Racing Point at the end of 2018 ahead of a return with Renault two years later.

He also noted that “there are still hopes, and hope is what motivates me to stay on track.”

Ocon lashes out at Haas over exit

Ocon looks set to be replaced by Formula 2 frontrunner and Ferrari junior Rafael Camara.

On his exit from Haas, he said: “It is frustrating because it’s not really the way it should be.

“I’m not going to go into detail in what happens in the past; I’m looking ahead, I’m looking at the future.

“But, I mean, I deserve to be here. I put the hard work [in], we benefitted from finding out all these issues very early since I joined the team. It has been very, very good for everyone.

“So, of course, I don’t think I deserve to have this for the future, but there’s opportunities all the time in Formula 1 and that’s what I’m looking at, looking at the future, not the past.

“I’ve always had to fight super hard in Formula 1 for everything I had,” he added.

“I’ve always had tough moments, people pulling me lower than the ground, digging my hole, but

“I’ve always shown that, with resilience, hard work, and motivation, I can overcome those moments.

“That’s what I will keep doing.”