Ocon looks finished in F1: how he lost head-to-head to almost every teammate

Esteban Ocon made his Formula 1 debut with Manor in 2016. The then Mercedes junior did so alongside fellow Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein. In the races where they both finished, Ocon ended up ahead six times and behind his German teammate only three times. In qualifying, the picture was reversed. There, Ocon finished behind Wehrlein six times and ahead only twice.

Yet in 2017, it wasn’t Wehrlein but Ocon who was picked up by Force India. Both Mercedes juniors tested for the team. Wehrlein was faster and more experienced, but Ocon listened better to the team’s input. Force India and team principal Otmar Szafnauer therefore chose the young Frenchman.

At Force India, Ocon got the Mexican Sergio Perez as his teammate, and they ultimately spent two seasons together at the team. Over those two years, Ocon won the qualifying battle (23-18) and Perez won the race battle (18-23). Ocon was close to Perez but never produced the same highs, such as the podium Perez scored at Azerbaijan in 2018.

In 2019, Ocon had to make way for Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, forcing him to spend a year on the sidelines. Ocon used that time as a reserve driver for Mercedes, learning from Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. A chance at Mercedes never came, but he did get a second shot in 2020 with Renault.

In his first year back in F1 with Renault, however, Ocon fell through the cracks. Alongside Daniel Ricciardo, Ocon was thoroughly outclassed. In one year, Ocon lost the qualifying battle 15-2 and the race battle 4-13. The points gap was immense as well: 119 to 62.

Whereas normally a year like that would end things immediately, Ricciardo left for McLaren and Ocon got a new teammate in Fernando Alonso. A two-time world champion, though past his peak. Over two years, Ocon did not convince. He narrowly lost the qualifying battle (21-23), while he narrowly won the race battle (23-21).

After his first year at Alpine—during which Ocon also claimed his first and so far only F1 victory—he was offered a substantial contract extension by Alpine. As a result, after Alonso, he got yet another new teammate at Alpine. Fittingly, it was his former childhood friend with whom he had fallen out over the years who came to join him at Alpine: Pierre Gasly. A showdown that everyone, especially the French press, eagerly anticipated.

The duel never truly boiled over between the two, although it was clear they didn’t grant each other even a meager point. Against Pierre Gasly, it was another neck-and-neck fight for Ocon. In qualifying, Gasly was often the better (25-20), while in the races Ocon had the upper hand (24-21). Even before the end of the 2024 season, however, Ocon was shown the door because he was set to move to Haas in 2025.

Brought in by Haas as the experienced hand, he has so far come off second best in that battle. In 2025 and 2026, the Frenchman had Oliver Bearman as his teammate. In 2025, the Briton was still an F1 rookie, but that didn’t stop him from beating Ocon 13-9 in qualifying with an average gap of less than a tenth.

In 2026, Bearman only widened that gap to his teammate. In qualifying it now stands at 8-3 in Bearman’s favor, with an average difference of more than two tenths. If, as the experienced driver, you are beaten by the younger one, you often know what time it is.

At 29 years old (he turns 30 in September), Esteban Ocon certainly isn’t among the oldest drivers on the F1 grid, but his time does seem to be up. Haas is actively searching for a new driver alongside Bearman, and there don’t appear to be many other options for Ocon. Given his CV, that’s not very surprising.

Those inclined to be positive can say he was on par with Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez, and Fernando Alonso, but there are far more arguments for the negative view. Alonso was past his peak, Ocon was outclassed by the now-departed Daniel Ricciardo, and he was never convincingly the best within the team. Moreover, the drivers he matched—excluding Alonso—with Perez and Gasly are not drivers who have proven themselves capable of fighting for world titles.

Ocon has nonetheless had a fine career in Formula 1. With 4 podiums and 1 victory, he still delivered some impressive results. On the other hand, it would surprise no one if 2026 marks the end of his time in F1.