Ralf Schumacher: Haas could lose Ocon and Bearman
Ralf Schumacher sees Haas heading for a double exit: Esteban Ocon written off for 2027, and Oliver Bearman tipped for promotion to one of F1's bigger names.
Ralf Schumacher says Haas could face a complete driver crisis as speculation intensifies about Esteban Ocon's future.
Ocon, 29, has come under growing pressure this season amid mounting reports of tension inside Haas and a disappointing performance gap to impressive teammate Oliver Bearman.
Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Schumacher suggested Haas may soon lose both current drivers.
"Haas is really in a dilemma," he said.
"I expect that Bearman will soon get the chance to drive for a bigger team."
Bearman remains closely tied to Ferrari through the Ferrari Driver Academy, and Schumacher believes the Italian team effectively controls his future.
"I can imagine Ferrari has the right of first refusal on Bearman if they needed him," he explained.
"That means if Lewis Hamilton actually decides to retire, Bearman would also be gone."
Schumacher was far harsher when discussing Ocon. "One thing is clear - Ocon isn't good enough," he said.
"At best, he's on par with Bearman, and usually worse. And I mean, Bearman is still at the beginning of his career - he's still developing."
The former grand prix winner believes Ocon's Formula 1 future is now highly uncertain.
"I can't imagine we'll see Ocon next year," Schumacher said.
"That's pretty much set in stone, unless some team has a major problem."
The German also suggested Haas could even make a driver change before the end of the current season. "Changing a driver in the middle of the year is unusual, but it's possible," he warned.
"That would mean potentially looking at Formula 2 and taking a top Formula 2 driver and giving him the opportunity early on."
Schumacher seemed to confirm speculation that deeper interpersonal issues could be at the heart of Ocon's current predicament. "When you meet Esteban Ocon, he's an incredibly nice, eloquent guy," he said.
"But he seems to be really difficult within the team. Especially when he's also slower."
"That was already the case with Pierre Gasly at Alpine, and it's the same now with Bearman at Haas."
The 50-year-old believes internal harmony is critical for a midfield team like Haas. "You can work with anything, of course, but not an enemy within your own house," Schumacher said.
A protégé kept under wraps
He said Toto Wolff could be the key to Ocon's next move. "From what I hear, he's apparently also a protege of Toto Wolff," Schumacher said.
"So I'm 100 percent certain that management is advising him to keep a low profile."
Haas F1 at a glance
| F1 debut | 2016 Australian GP |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Gene Haas (2014) |
| Base | Kannapolis, NC (USA) + Banbury (UK) |
| Constructors titles | 0 |
| 2026 line-up | Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman |
See also: Haas F1 team profile on F1-Fansite.
Related: Ocon's Haas seat in doubt as 2026 exit rumour swirls
2 F1 Fan comments on “Ralf Schumacher: Haas could lose Ocon and Bearman”
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Ralf strikes yet again, & Cerasoli already clarified what she actually meant since she was misinterpreted or mistranslated, meaning that none of the aspects about Ocon have any foundation, including the mid-season change part.
All this criticism towards Ocon couldn’t be more unreasonable because he hasn’t even been as bad as the total points tally might suggest, given that he was affected by at least factor beyond his control over the first three GP weekends, while in Miami, they were roughly matched in all bar one competitive session, not to mention Ocon has also out-performed Bearman under normal circumstances this season, so he definitely hasn’t underperformed or been excessively behind by average gap.
Of course, Bearman would be at Ferrari next season only IF Lewis were to retire after this season, & he clearly isn’t done yet, so he’ll continue for at least one more season in all likelihood.
Some teams have done a better job than others at making these stupid rules work. It could well be that Ocon is struggling with the changes in driving style all drivers have had to make. Ironically, he could be 'wired-wrong' for the driving required to succeed.
But any driver who wants to win will do so, if they have the ride underneath them to get them there. Haas has clearly not done as good a job as others.