Ocon hits back at doubters with Baku charge: 'I'm one of the best out there'
Frenchman delivers season-best result under pressure
Esteban Ocon has insisted he is “one of the best out there” among the current crop of F1 drivers after bouncing back in style in Baku, where he charged to eighth place amid fresh doubts over his Haas future.
It has been a tough 2026 campaign for the Frenchman, and his frustration boiled over on Friday in Azerbaijan when a yellow flag left him in P14 in qualifying on a day when Q3 had been on the cards. It was the last thing he needed given the speculation swirling around his Haas seat for 2027, after he hinted he was “definitely a free agent for next year.”
Ocon responded in the best way possible in Saturday's race, taking his opportunities and avoiding the chaos around him to claim P8 at the flag – his best result of the season so far and only his third top-10 finish. The only disappointment was that it could have been even better had he not lost a spot to Arvid Lindblad in the dash across the line on the final lap.
A changed mood 24 hours on
Despite that late heartbreak, his mood could not have been more different than it had been a day earlier.
“Super happy with the result,” said the Frenchman. “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 pit stop, on the Safety Car.
“So yeah, it's been a really, really good race. I'm really happy with the result, and I think it gives just good, positive vibes for everyone to move forward on that triple [header].”
Looking ahead to the next two rounds, he added: “We are going into a very difficult track with a lot of corners, a lot of high-speed corners, and we showed that we have a car that's pretty competitive. So it should be two exciting races for us. I'm looking forward to them.”
How the charge unfolded
The restart after the first Safety Car proved pivotal in propelling Ocon into the points. He was in P13 and fighting with Liam Lawson down to Turn 1 when a collision took Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris out of contention. Already up to P9, he then swept past team-mate Ollie Bearman into Turn 2 after Bearman lost momentum following contact with Kimi Antonelli.
“I overtook Liam, who was a little bit slow on the line,” said Ocon. “I was mid of the car, he was still in front, but that gave me enough to go into Turn 1. And then I just dived into Turn 2, into Ollie, and got in front of him.”
After the second restart, a mistake from Oscar Piastri handed him another place, leaving the two Haas drivers running in P7 and P8.
“From there on what was going to be difficult was to keep the overtake in front,” said Ocon. “And that was not possible, because the quick cars, they just disappeared. So we were playing the team game with Ollie. I gave him overtake for the last four or five laps until he got overtaken by Lindblad, unfortunately.”
It looked as though Ocon would stay ahead of the Racing Bulls, but he was caught out when Valtteri Bottas crashed in the closing stages.
“Obviously I cut the corner because I didn't know if Valtteri was in the middle of the track,” said Ocon. “I thought I don't want to be at the stewards arguing that I gained an advantage, so I backed off, and I thought that was going to be enough. But they [Racing Bulls] are super-fast in the straight, and I overdid it.”
Lindblad got him on the line to claim the place by just 0.03s.
'I'm not afraid to say it'
Nevertheless, P8 was a timely reward for a driver who insists he has never doubted his own ability.
“I've raced with everyone out there, and I've always been on par,” he said. “I've won every championship that I've raced with. I've won races in Formula Renault, I won championships in go-karts, I won 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. I'm one of the best out there and I'm not afraid to say it.”
Bearman shares the spoils
It was a good day too for Bearman, who was more than happy to claim P9 despite losing out to his team-mate at the restart, sealing a valuable double points haul for Haas.
“I'm super happy to score points with both cars,” he said. “It's such an incredible feeling, even if it was a race of attrition with a lot of retirements, where I think if it was green, we would have been P11, like where I was.
“However, we'll take it. To stay in a race like this is always the target. We know how crazy they can be, and it was crazy today, and I'm so proud of the entire team, everyone back home at the factory, also in Italy, the aero guys. To bring points after the upgrade that we bought, I can't imagine how they're feeling right now – I think they should be very proud of themselves.”