Esteban Ocon undergoes ‘bizarre’ reality check as Lando Norris’ F1 arc leaves him in the shadows

Haas driver Esteban Ocon has expressed his raw feelings about his F1 career not taking off despite all his efforts and “sacrifices”. The Frenchman compared himself to Lando Norris, who in two seasons went from fighting to stay in the points to winning the 2025 drivers’ championship.

Ocon came from a modest background and his parents, at one point, sold their garage and house to continue funding his racing journey. He eventually made his way to F1 and also achieved every driver’s dream: winning a race.

However, it proved to be a one-off wonder with Alpine for Esteban Ocon, who found himself in midfield and at the back of the pack for most of his career. In a recent interview with RN365, the 29-year-old recalled how he was battling with Lando Norris for position in 2023, and just two seasons later found himself constantly overtaken by the McLaren driver, who took 18 podiums in 24 races en route to his first F1 title.

“In 2023, I was still fighting with Lando in the final laps in Jeddah and Canada, and in another race that season we were literally side by side in the battle for sixth place,” Ocon explained. “That was only two years ago, and now he’s suddenly fighting for the title, and I haven’t seen him for a whole year. He’s passed me in every race, that’s how weird it is when you’re talking about differences.”

Esteban Ocon’s first season with Haas in 2025 has not been pretty. Although a clear improvement over Alpine, who became the worst team on the grid this year, the French driver was edged out by his rookie teammate Oliver Bearman, who scored three more points and finished two places ahead of him (P13 vs P15) in the drivers’ standings.

Responsibility to repay his parents makes Esteban Ocon ‘keep fighting’ for F1 dream

Even though Esteban Ocon felt like time had passed compared to Lando Norris, who achieved every F1 driver’s ultimate dream, he was not ready to stop fighting for his dream. The Haas driver didn’t want to disappoint his parents or future children by having a simulation career.

In the interview with RN365, he also spoke about his firm belief in his dream of conquering the ultimate prize in F1, saying:

“But I believe it will happen one day, considering how hard I’ve worked to get there. If I retire in a few years, I don’t want to have to tell my kids that it could have been possible if I had done something different. That would be truly horrible, and I don’t want to have to live with that. Out of respect for my parents and others around me, I can’t do that either. I have to give one hundred percent in every race.”

When asked if he had a retirement timeline in mind, Ocon added:

“It’s not part of my plan at all. I want to keep fighting, that’s what I want. I want to do well. We’ll have a lot of answers next year. Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t. But I’ll give it everything I’ve got. I’m only 30 next year, so realistically I can keep going for another ten years! It’s not ideal for your body, but I’ll think about it when I’m 70 and that everything will hurt!”

Although no one can predict which team will become the best team when F1’s new technical era begins in 2026, it seems unlikely that Haas will be among the favorites. The health of the Ferrari powertrains it uses will determine where it sits in the pecking order.