1997 Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve believes Esteban Ocon's grand prix career will end when his time with Haas concludes, arguing the Frenchman is running out of options on the grid.
Ocon joined Haas in 2025 after a five-year stint with Renault, which later became Alpine. The 30-year-old finished 15th in the drivers' championship in his first season with the American outfit, but was outperformed by his rookie team-mate Oliver Bearman, who finished 13th.
Bearman has continued to outperform his experienced team-mate in 2026. After 14 rounds, Bearman sits 13th in the standings with 18 points and Ocon is 18th with just three points.
With Ocon's current contract with Haas expiring at the end of this year, speculation about his future has increased.
"The problem is, he came in as a Mercedes prospect through the family. Mercedes didn't keep him. They put him in Alpine/Renault. And now he's gone down the ladder to Haas," Villeneuve told Sky Sports F1.
"After Haas, there's outside of Formula 1. There's not enough room for the young ones coming through. There's definitely not enough room for a driver like Esteban.
"Yes, he has a lot of experience, but how good were his last two seasons? He wasn't shining in the last two seasons. The teams won't really be looking at him with everything else that is coming down, so it's time to look.
"It would be dangerous not to look at opportunities outside of F1, because the potential ones in F1 are tiny, tiny, tiny, other than a third driver, but why do that?"
Three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick, who joined Villeneuve on the broadcast, added when asked if Ocon had been given enough of an opportunity to prove himself: "I would say so. And I think he's had flashes where he has proved himself, but to be in one of those full-time seats when you've got Ollie Bearman, who's just come in doing the job he's doing. I don't think so.
"It's like Kevin Magnussen, for example, and now he's having a great experience in sportscars. So no doubt he's going to stay in the sport for a long time, or I hope he stays in the sport for a long time, but perhaps not in Formula 1."
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Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Saturday
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