Esteban Ocon is going through a difficult moment in Formula 1 and his performance against teammates throughout his career helps explain the situation. The current battle with Oliver Bearman at Haas has extended a series of confrontations in which the Frenchman has rarely managed to clearly impose himself.
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Ocon debuted for Manor in 2016 alongside Pascal Wehrlein. In the races where both finished, the Frenchman was ahead on six occasions, against three for the German, but lost the qualifying duel by six to two.
At Force India, Ocon had Sergio Perez as a teammate for two seasons and finished close to the Mexican. The Frenchman had the edge in qualifying by 23 to 18, while Perez won the race duel also by 23 to 18. After missing the grid in 2019, Ocon returned to F1 with Renault in 2020 but had a very difficult season alongside Daniel Ricciardo, losing 15 to 2 in qualifying and 13 to 4 in races, as well as finishing the championship with 62 points against 119 for the Australian.
The situation was more balanced with Fernando Alonso. In two years, Ocon lost the qualifying battle by 23 to 21 but won the race battle by the same score. With Pierre Gasly, his teammate at Alpine, the Frenchman also had a close confrontation, losing 25 to 20 in qualifying and winning 24 to 21 in races.
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At Haas, however, the scenario changed. Bearman outqualified Ocon 13 to 9 in 2025, still as a rookie, with an average difference of less than a tenth. In 2026, the advantage increased to 8 to 3, while the average difference went over two tenths.
According to various rumors in the F1 paddock, Haas is looking for a new driver to race alongside Bearman in 2027, while options for Ocon seem limited. At 29 years old, the Frenchman has four podiums and one win in F1, but his performance against teammates throughout his career fuels the possibility that 2026 will be his last season in the category.
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