Is Esteban Ocon getting pushed out of a seat by his Haas teammate?

However, the 2026 season thus far paints a very different picture. Across all categories, Ocon is being left in the dust by Bearman, who has scored 17 points to Ocon’s single point. While Ocon finished ahead of Bearman in Japan, this result came at the expense of Bearman’s crash and subsequent DNF.

With this exception aside, Bearman has outperformed Ocon in every race. Even more notably, Ocon has only managed to pick up one point with a P10 finish in Japan. The car can be competitive, as seen with Bearman’s season’s best P5 finish in China, which raises the question – is this simply a talent gap?

How high is their ceiling?

Ocon is approaching veteran status in Formula 1, with nine full seasons of experience under his belt. To be clear, keeping a seat in F1 for nine seasons is nothing to sneer at. However, despite a few breakthrough moments, Ocon himself has expressed disappointment with his career thus far. At the opening Grand Prix, Ocon made the following assessment about his time in F1:

“I think it’s fair to say that I’m happy with what I’ve achieved in terms of podiums and wins, and I’m proud of those, but I haven’t achieved enough in F1… and yes, I’ve won one race in F1, but it’s not enough. Out of 180 races, to my standard, it’s disappointing so far.”

Ocon has likely cemented himself as a midfield driver for the rest of his career, which means future podiums and wins become that much harder.

In contrast, Bearman’s time in F1 has just begun, and he’s already showing signs of promise in a midfield car. He has also proven himself when driving for a top team. In 2024, Bearman was Ferrari’s reserve driver and was called upon when Carlos Sainz needed emergency surgery. At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he managed to finish P7 after only having one practice session in the car.

With Lewis Hamilton at a late stage in his career, Ferrari needs to start planning for the future. Bearman has a history with Ferrari, and could be the talented young driver they need for long-term success.

The key for Esteban Ocon this season

Esteban Ocon’s future career in Formula One will likely depend on his consistency. If Ocon wants a long-term career in F1, he needs to prove himself as a driver who can find and hold onto point positions. As a midfield team, Haas will be looking to maximize on as many point-scoring opportunities as possible.

There’s a lot of season left to go, but Ocon needs to start scoring points every week if he wants to close the gap between himself and Bearman.