Esteban Ocon’s Haas form sparks strong final-year warning from Guenther Steiner

Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes that if Esteban Ocon continues in his current form, it will be his last year in the championship. 

The Frenchman was handed a 10-second penalty during the Chinese Grand Prix for causing a collision with Alpine's Franco Colapinto. The Haas driver apologised to Colapinto after the race, claiming, "It's my fault, I did a mistake, I misjudged it."

When asked during the 'Gas or Brake' segment of The Red Flags Podcast, whether this could be Ocon's final year in F1, Steiner said: "Gas, full gas. If he continues like this... If he decides to take Colapinto out like he did in China, for sure it is his last year because that's not even a rookie mistake. That's just dumb, you know."

Adding to his woes, Ocon was outperformed by his rookie team-mate Oliver Bearman in 2025. While the Briton finished 13th in the drivers' standings, Ocon ended in 15th, albeit with only three points separating them. 

So far in 2026, Bearman has scored 17 points, placing him fifth in the drivers' standings after a seventh-place finish in the Australian Grand Prix, an eighth-place finish in the Chinese sprint race and a fifth-place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

In comparison, Ocon sits 16th in the standings with zero points after an 11th-place finish in Australia, a 10th-place finish in the sprint race and a 14th-place finish in the Chinese Grand Prix.

Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with Manor and has since driven for teams including Force India, Renault/Alpine and Haas. He secured his first, and only, grand prix win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine. Over the course of his career so far, he has also scored four podium finishes, one fastest lap and 483 points. 

The 29-year-old driver signed a multi-year contract with Haas starting in 2025.