Ocon’s problems return as seat pressure grows

Esteban Ocon says the long-running differences between his Haas and Oliver Bearman’s car have resurfaced at Monza, at a particularly awkward moment as four other drivers fight to take his seat for 2027.

Ocon qualified only 16th and is already running Ferrari’s older power-unit specification after Haas gave its sole new ADUO engine to Bearman (P12).

But the Frenchman says the problem goes beyond the engine.

"There were differences between the cars, not just in terms of the engine but also the aerodynamics," he told French media.

"We always struggle to find consistency, and that was especially noticeable on my side of the garage this weekend."

Ocon said Haas changed almost everything it could overnight and again during final practice, without finding the source.

"We didn’t find the source of the problem - we still had it in qualifying," he said.

"It’s a huge amount of work with no reward in the end, which is a shame."

He identified the main issue as a loss of downforce.

"We’re still dealing with a loss of downforce, which we’ve had to manage since the start of the weekend."

"The engine too, but we knew we’d have a deficit."

The contrast with Bearman is particularly uncomfortable after team boss Ayao Komatsu confirmed Ocon is fighting Ryo Hirakawa, Jack Doohan, Leonardo Fornaroli and Rafael Camara for the 2027 seat.

Ocon nevertheless welcomed signs that Haas’s latest aerodynamic package is working on the other car.

"I’m happy for the whole team because the upgrades seem to be working for Ollie, which is very reassuring," he said.

"We just need to make sure both cars are the same."