Haas Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon has always vocally expressed belief in his ability, and he now feels vindicated by his Azerbaijan Grand Prix result.
Eighth position in Baku marked Ocon’s highest finish of 2026 in a campaign where the Frenchman was often held back by inconsistency in the way Haas’ car parts perform – an issue that is understood to have plagued him more than team-mate Oliver Bearman, although the situation has improved of late.
Ocon is now aware that he’s most likely losing his seat in 2027 and was highly frustrated to have been hindered by a yellow flag in qualifying in Baku, hence his ecstatic reaction after the race.
“Super happy with the result,” he said after being pipped to seventh place by Arvid Lindblad by a mere 0.03s. “When the car is working, that’s what we deserve.
“We had a strong car since the beginning of the weekend, we took all the right decisions on the pitstop and on the safety car. I did the same overtake I did in Zandvoort, just before the line, so that was really good as well. And again, two places there as well into Turn 2.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Alex Pantling / LAT Images via Getty Images
“So, yeah, it’s been a really, really good race, I’m really happy with the result. I think it gives just good, positive vibes for everyone to move forward on that triple [-header].
“We are going into a very difficult track with a lot of high-speed corners,” he said of the upcoming Sepang circuit. “And we show that we have a car that’s pretty competitive. It should be like two exciting races for us, I’m looking forward to them.”
Asked by Motorsport.com if this felt like redemption in the difficult time he was going through, Ocon replied: “I can say I deserve that – not all the rest of the shit.”
He added, and interestingly that’s something he also told broadcasters nearly word for word in the TV pen: “I’ve raced with everyone out there, you know? And I’ve always been on par.
“I won every championship that I’ve raced [in]. I won races in Formula Renault, I won championships in go-karts, I won [European] Formula 3, I won GP3, I was racing in the top 10 in DTM for half a season, I won in Formula 1. I can do it, you know?
“I’m one of the best out there, and I’m not afraid to say it.”
Other than his “I won every championship” claim, which he swiftly nuanced, Ocon’s statement is mostly true. The only inaccuracy might be his half-season in DTM back in 2016, as he finished in the top 10 just once in 10 races, having spent 18% of all his racing laps in those positions.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
