Esteban Ocon will leave the Haas Formula 1 team at the end of the 2026 season, the team announced on Wednesday, September 30. The French driver, who joined Haas for the 2025 season, confirmed his departure in a message shared on his social media. "My collaboration with the Haas F1 Team will end at the conclusion of the 2026 season," Ocon wrote. "I am leaving this project with my head held high, proud of my performances in circumstances that have not always been simple, for various reasons and factors beyond my will and out of my control." He emphasized that this is "absolutely not the end of my career in Formula 1." The TGR Haas F1 Team confirmed the departure in a statement: "The TGR Haas F1 Team and Esteban Ocon will part ways at the end of the 2026 FIA Formula 1 World Championship." Team director Ayao Komatsu praised Ocon's "professionalism and commitment," noting that his experience was "decisive in the development of the VF-26 throughout the season." Ocon has competed in 39 Grand Prix races for Haas, scoring 12 points, and currently holds 7 points in the 2026 standings (16th place), compared to 20 points for his teammate Ollie Bearman (13th place). His best result of the season was an 8th-place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Ocon stated that his immediate priority is the upcoming race weekend and that he will continue to "give my all alongside this team, seize every opportunity and extract the maximum performance from the car." He also noted that there are still many Grand Prix races this season and that he will "give everything behind the wheel, for myself and for my team." In the immediate term, Ocon's options for the 2027 season are limited, with the contract extensions of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll at Aston Martin reducing available spots. Racing Bulls, which has not yet announced its driver pair, is one potential option. Ocon entered Formula 1 in 2016 with Force India, spent a season with Renault F1 starting in 2020, and four with Alpine F1 before joining Haas. Rumors of his departure had been circulating for months, despite sometimes very vehement denials from both parties. Ocon had previously complained about his car and implied he did not always receive fair treatment compared to his teammate Bearman.