Jul.17 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has played down growing speculation about his Haas future as he marks ten years since making his Formula 1 debut at Spa.
The Frenchman’s contract contains a Haas-controlled option for 2027, but a growing list of potential replacements now includes McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli, Toyota-backed Ryo Hirakawa, Ferrari junior Rafael Camara, Yuki Tsunoda and Haas reserve Jack Doohan.
Fornaroli is currently regarded as a particularly serious contender after impressing Haas during a recent test, although the team has made no final decision.
Ocon, however, insists his future is not yet a concern.
“Today, there’s no need to even discuss what comes next; it doesn’t concern me,” he told AFP France.
“We’re all focused on the team trying to improve this car. Ayao trusts me, and I trust Ayao. The option for a contract extension is in Haas’s favour. So, we’ll talk to them directly later.
“There isn’t necessarily a deadline,” the 29-year-old said.
“It’s usually during the summer that everyone talks. So, I think that’s when it will happen.”
Ocon previously hit out at what he called “fabricated” claims of a breakdown in his relationship with team principal Ayao Komatsu, insisting he joined Haas partly because of their longstanding trust.
He also believes difficult circumstances have made his performances appear worse than they have been.
“At the beginning of the season, when the performance was quite good, we had a lot of bad luck,” Ocon said. “And that’s where we needed to capitalise and score points.
“Because we had much less performance afterwards. We had major problems with the car, so we weren’t fast at all.”
Despite the poor run, Ocon remains confident Haas can recover.
“We’ll try some new parts this weekend and bring even more after, so things should be moving in the right direction.
“Will it be enough? We don’t know.”
This weekend marks a decade since Ocon made his debut for Manor at the 2016 Belgian GP. “I don’t feel like I’ve been in Formula 1 for 10 years,” he said.
“Back then it was very different, of course. I was racing with the faces I was always watching on TV: Fernando, Jenson, Raikkonen, all these guys. It was quite special.
“But, yeah, I did a good job because I’m here 10 years later, so it’s ok.”
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