Following the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Esteban Ocon reflected on Haas’ performance after a dissapointing result. They were unable to score points in Spain, with Ocon finishing P13 out of the 15 drivers who crossed the finish line. His teammate Ollie Bearman had to retire from the race due to reliability issues.
Ocon on tyre management during the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP
Esteban Ocon pitted 3 times during Sunday’s GP. In the print media pen, Ocon explained that they were struggling to “keep the rear tyres alive”, as well as Haas having a difficult weekend generally.
“It was very difficult. We didn’t manage to keep the tyres alive. Basically, every time we were doing a stint, we had to do a stop early. And that only meant the pain was going to be happening again and again and again.
“We had to do three stops in the race because we couldn’t keep the rear tyres alive until that last stint. So yeah, very difficult race I think in that side of things. I think overall as well as a team it has been difficult this weekend.
“I think we got it wrong with the setup. The car was not in the right window also in that race which made it even more difficult for the tyre life. We had a good start but after that there was nothing really positive to come away from that race.
“So, we will try and maximise better, optimise better. In Austria we also have new parts there so optimistic that we should do a better job there.”
Ocon explains the problem with the set up in Barcelona
The Frenchman admitted that Haas got their set up wrong for the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP. This meant the team struggled with their performance during the race. Ollie Bearman was unable to finish the GP following reliablity issues, making it the second race in a row that the Brit DNF’ed.
Ocon admitted that the car lacked downforce this weekend. Additionally, the car struggled for grip, hurting their performance at the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
“Yeah, we do lack a little bit [downforce]. Of course, overall grip this weekend has shown that it’s not enough.
“But we also got the setup wrong which is two things that we need to look into. Obviously, the setup is the easier thing to get better. It’s clear that on our side we were not in the right window for that race.
After the good start nothing really was coming for us.”
Esteban Ocon discusses his expectations for Haas during the rest of the 2026 F1 season
Haas started off the 2026 F1 season well, scoring points in the first race of the season with Ocon’s teammate, Ollie Bearman; the Brit then finished a superb P5 in China. The team have settled into the midfield and are currently P7 in the Constructors’ Championship, having dropped from P4.
Speaking after the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, Ocon explained that the team have more upgrades coming and is hopeful for the remainder of the 2026 F1 season.
“I think we did a little step forward with the updates. Maybe the others did a bigger step forward. But it’s not the full package yet.
“We should have more in Austria. At the moment we are not strong enough in this race. I’m hopeful and I trust the team that we should be in a better spot in Austria.”
