Esteban Ocon expressed his pride in having won a Grand Prix, but acknowledged that he has not accomplished enough in Formula 1, aware that his tenth full Grand Prix season could be his last.
After nearly ten years on the grid, with one Grand Prix victory and three podiums, Ocon remains unsatisfied.
In a recent interview, he stated: “Yes, I think you could say I’m happy with what I’ve achieved in terms of podiums and victory, and I’m proud of it, but I haven’t succeeded enough in F1.”
A rapid rise
Looking back on his career, Ocon recalled his successes in the junior categories, notably his victory against Max Verstappen for the European F3 title in 2014.
However, he expressed his disappointment regarding his F1 journey: “I won in every category I raced in in the past, except maybe in DTM with my half-season, but from karting to single-seaters, I won everything. And yes, I won an F1 race, but it’s not enough. Over 180 races, by my standards, it’s disappointing so far.”
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The French driver remains optimistic for the future, however, and is determined to work hard to reverse the trend: “So, I hope that will change in the near future, but I will work hard to make it change.”
Tricky start in 2026
After his move from Alpine to Haas in 2025, his first year with the American team did not meet expectations. Team principal Ayao Komatsu acknowledged that Ocon’s performances were below par, while sharing the responsibility with the team. So far, Ocon has only scored one point in 2026, while his teammate Oliver Bearman already has 17.
It is the comparison with his young garage neighbor that appears more worrying, especially in qualifying, an exercise where the Frenchman has never particularly shone, even if he didn’t have to be ashamed of his internal confrontations with Sergio Pérez, Nico Hülkenberg or Pierre Gasly previously.
While he is not yet 30 years old, Ocon could nevertheless be left on the sidelines at the end of the season if he does not significantly raise his level, as the contract extension option is in the team’s favor.
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