(Motorsport-Total.com) – According to Esteban Ocon, rumors about his future in Formula 1 are completely irrelevant to him. Since his contract with Haas ends in 2026, various speculations about the 29-year-old’s career are currently circulating in the media.
Read more Ocon: Rumors about the future at Haas are «f***ing irrelevant» to me
“I have to trust the team and Ayao,” he said ahead of the Grand Prix weekend in Austria. Haas wants to decide on a driver pairing for 2027 by summer. “I am focusing with the team on pushing forward the things we can influence.”
“From my side,” said Ocon, “I am very relaxed. I try to do my best and focus on the right things.”
“People can say whatever the hell they want. Honestly, I don’t give a damn, and I just want to do a good job [for the team].”
Ocon emphasizes that the last races have been anything but easy for Haas. Since the Miami Grand Prix, they have only scored three championship points. By comparison: at the first three race weekends alone, the team managed to score 18 championship points.
Read more McLaren as favorite? Russell sees Papaya as a threat in Austria
“Of course, we are working very hard, but it still has to pay off,” Ocon explained in Spielberg. “As a driver,” he said, “performance on the track is what I have to take care of. The rest comes with it.”
In other words: Ocon expects better results only when the problems of the VF-26 are solved. Meanwhile, the former Mercedes protégé is behind his teammate Oliver Bearman in the championship standings. While the Ferrari junior is in 11th place with 18 points, Ocon has three points and is in 16th place.
“We currently have bigger problems with the car than that. So we have to take care of that first. Once the problems are solved and more performance is extracted from the car, it is of course much easier.”
Nevertheless, Ocon remains optimistic according to his own statement. “We know the real reasons [for the problems] within the team, and we know that we are working on them correctly.”
Read more Canada Friday: Mercedes leads, McLaren first follower