HAAS CONFIRMS ESTEBAN OCON DROPPED FOR REST OF 2026 SEASON

Haas has confirmed that Esteban Ocon will not race for the team again this season. The decision follows the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend, when test driver Ryo Hirakawa replaced Ocon amid rumours of a dispute with team principal Ayao Komatsu. In a statement, Komatsu said: "We have now notified Esteban Ocon that he will not return to a race seat with TGR Haas F1 Team this season." He said such decisions are "never made lightly" but that the team feels this is "firmly in the best interests of the team moving forward." Rafael Camara will replace Ocon for the rest of the season.

Ocon disputed reports describing the dispute with Komatsu as a physical altercation but confirmed that an argument had taken place. Komatsu said the conversations between the team and Ocon "remain an internal matter" and that Haas would "continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations." The move leaves Ocon without a race seat with four races remaining in the 2026 season at the time of the Mexico City weekend. Hirakawa had already stood in for Ocon during that weekend before Haas confirmed the permanent change days later.

Rafael Camara leads the Formula 2 standings as a Ferrari junior driver and will make his Formula 1 Grand Prix debut at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix this weekend. Komatsu confirmed the pairing, saying: "We've chosen Rafael Camara to drive alongside Ollie Bearman at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix." Three further races remain on the 2026 calendar after Sao Paulo. Haas has not said whether Ocon will take on any other role with the team before the end of the season.