Ocon positive after half a season with Haas: "We are going in a good direction"

Tenth in the world championship after the Belgian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon certainly had a good first season with the team HaasWhile the American team currently sits ninth in the constructors' championship, the VF-25's performance level has been improving since the start of the season, when hopes for the upcoming season were not high.

"We're heading in the right direction. It hasn't always gone smoothly, but we've managed to perform well on some weekends where we couldn't have done better.", Ocon explained during the traditional Thursday press conference. "We started with the weakest car in the field in Australia, and our comeback was truly magnificent. The team was able to react to certain situations, when it seemed like it was a lost cause."

With Haas just eight points behind sixth-placed Sauber, Ocon hopes to capitalise on the various opportunities that present themselves to him and his team between now and the end of the season, as was the case for the Swiss team, which saw Nico Hulkenberg reach the podium at a rain-disrupted British Grand Prix.

“It’s great to see the pride in the team when we manage to get results. I’m very proud of everyone and the work they’ve put in. We’ve put ourselves in a good position in a very tight midfield, and we’ll have to capitalize on every opportunity; that’s what’s going to make the difference.”

A welcome break before Spa

At Spa-Francorchamps, in front of several media outlets including AUTOhebdo, Ocon was also pleased with the short two-week break that fell between the British and Belgian Grands Prix. It was an opportunity to meet with his engineers and to examine the data from previous Grands Prix in even greater detail. The French driver welcomed this opportunity positively, as he continues to adapt to a brand new car this season.

“It’s great that we were able to have two weeks to look at what we did at Silverstone in detail and in detail. The team was really able to give me detailed feedback on the areas where we’ve improved but also where there’s still work to be done. It was very interesting to be able to look at all that up close. You really realize how much time it takes to get into that detail. There are so many races going on that we don’t always have the opportunity to do that.”

While the chassis and engine regulations will be significantly modified for 2026, Esteban Ocon believes that the work done on this year's car is far from useless: “It’s very useful. I was talking to the engineers, and the team continues to push with this car, bringing new features, because it will still be useful for us, for 2026. By improving the characteristics of the car, it’s still engineering knowledge, even if the parts will be different next year. 

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