Esteban Ocon hits back: “I don’t deserve to be out” - what will F1 reject do next?
Esteban Ocon’s ten-year grand prix career is coming to a close - at least for the time being.
The Frenchman has found himself out of a drive, with Haas’s confirmation it’s signed Ferrari Junior Rafael Camara for next year.
The former Force India and Alpine ace is defiant about his place in F1, saying, “I believe that this is not my last year.” We run through his options to salvage a racing future.
F1 reserve driver - Waiting for another race opportunity
The driver line-ups for the 2027 grid are almost set, with only the two berths at Racing Bulls remaining.
It’s highly unlikely that the Red Bull junior team would sign someone from outside its own driver programme, so where does that leave Ocon?
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It seems his next best option would be a reserve driver position with an F1 team, hanging around keeping a presence in the paddock until another race seat becomes available.
His previous employers Aston Martin (formerly Force India) or Alpine may be able to help him out, and it would likely be attractive for them to have a reserve driver with such grand prix experience like Ocon does.
That being said, would a team plausibly take on Ocon for 2028 if it had a race seat available?
One negative effect of having been in F1 since 2016 is that the Frenchman’s level has been clearly shown across ten seasons. He’s taken one opportunistic race victory for Alpine at the 2021 Hungarian GP, but aside from that has proven himself to be a good grand prix driver rather than a great one.
With so much talent constantly fighting its way up the junior ranks, Ocon’s chances of an F1 race future look slim.
“I'm coming here to do the best job I can, try and exploit the maximum amount of the car,” he emphasised ahead of this weekend’s US GP. “As I said, I deserve to be here in F1.
“There are many circumstances why I'm not here next year, but they are not the performance reasons. I've won everything, in every category I've done – in go-karts, in Formula Renault, in F3, in GP3, in F1.
“In all these categories, I've won races. So, just thinking of a sports perspective, I deserve to be in F1. And yeah, I believe that this is not my last year.”
Sports car racing - Living the Le Mans dream
A common refuge for those who leave the grand prix world - or never make it in the first place, is sports car racing.
The World Endurance Championship has former F1 drivers such as Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Nyck De Vries.
The Hypercar category is one that can utilise skills developed in F1, with high-downforce cars and hybrid power unit technology.
Added to that, WEC has one of the biggest races in the world, and it’s in Ocon’s homeland: the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Even if he decided not to do a full-season, teams often run expanded driver line-ups for Le Mans - would Ocon be tempted?
IndyCar - Would Ocon take on the ovals?
If Ocon wanted to keep his single-seater career going, another option would be moving Stateside.
The USA’s top open-wheel championship is becoming increasingly popular, running a street race in Washington DC this year and announcing its first international round in 13 years at Barcelona in 2027.
However, grand prix drivers often baulk at the idea of racing on ovals, one of IndyCar’s staple circuit types, where average laps can be around 200mph with no run-off against the barriers.
There are only a few backmarker seats now left in the championship for 2027. Ocon would have to start again if he makes the move across the pond.
James Elson