Ocon: Drivers 'need to learn everything again' with 2026 cars

Esteban Ocon will look to bounce back in 2026 after a difficult first year at Haas. To be clear, the Frenchman secured some solid results last year in the VF-25 – especially in the earlier rounds.

Still, rookie teammate Oliver Bearman outperformed Ocon over the course of the season. Bearman’s supremacy was particularly clear after the summer break, when the Briton routinely set the benchmark for Ayao Komatsu’s team.

Then again, this year is essentially a reset for drivers and teams.

Adaptability will be integral to master the new 2026 cars, as Ocon explained in his pre-season declarations.

Ocon outlines demands of F1’s next generation

Haas enter their second season with Ocon and Bearman behind the wheel. This line-up proved competitive in last year’s midfield fight, with Haas taking a solid 8th place in the constructors.

This year will be an even greater challenge for Haas, who must pool together their tools to compete in a field with an increasing number of powerhouses.

As a result, there is more pressure on Ocon and Bearman to lead the team. In addition to optimising performance, providing accurate feedback is essential.

As Ocon explains, early simulator work is already demonstrating the challenges drivers must overcome:

“It’s a very particular way of driving the car. There’s going to be a lot more management on the engine side and on the hybrid side. The car itself, you know, felt pretty good.

“The balance was decent, although of course it was our first taste in the simulator, so we need to see how it is in reality, but the level of grip was good.

“Clearly, the biggest change is from the engine side, and that’s going to be the key for us to be prepared. It’s an exciting challenge, and it’s a different way of driving compared to before.

“I think we can forget everything that we’ve learned since go-karts on how to go fast, but it will be interesting to learn a new driving style and hopefully find speed with it…

“We need to learn everything new again, so I think the experience helps to adapt quickly. But we need to adapt everything. All of our senses, how we feel, we’ll need to think a lot more while driving about what to do, to go quicker. It’s exciting, and it’s going to be interesting.”

An important year for the Haas duo

Despite growing investment from Toyota, Haas remain a Ferrari customer team. Relations between the two teams are strong, as shown by Haas’ history of signing Ferrari junior drivers.

Oliver Bearman was one of last year’s revelations, quickly getting up to speed in Formula 1.

Because of this, the 20-year-old is seen as a leading candidate to join Ferrari in 2027 if either of the Scuderia’s current drivers walk away.

For Ocon, it is important he is more competitive with Bearman than he was last season. Should the #87 car again set the standard at Haas, it will lower Ocon’s market value in a likely volatile year in the driver market.