The 2026 F1 Spanish GP ended on a disappointing note for Haas’ Esteban Ocon, who took the chequered flag just outside of the points in P11. This was his best finish since Monaco, where he ended up P9.
The improvement in pace of his VF-26 had the Frenchman focusing on the positives of his weekend at the Madring. However, it was also the reason he hoped to have left the 2026 F1 Spanish GP weekend in the points, as he reflected, “everyone deserves that point today”.
Ocon reflecting on the 2026 F1 Spanish GP
Ocon placed himself P13 on the starting grid for the 2026 F1 Spanish GP after a promising qualifying on Saturday. It was also his best qualifying session since the Japanese GP earlier in the season.
It was a decent start for Ocon as he was able to pass both Audis of Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg in the opening laps. Coming into the Spanish GP, Haas’ biggest rival in the 2026 F1 Constructors’ Championship had been Audi, with a mere five points separating the teams. Hence, as shared by Ocon, one of his main goals of the weekend was to be ahead of both Bortoleto and Hülkenberg, who started ahead in P12 and P11, respectively.
On losing position to Hülkenberg during the VSC
However, his joy would be short-lived in the race as Ocon eventually lost the position back to Hülkenberg later on. On Lap 14 of the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin had stopped in the run-off area at Turn 20 and brought out the sole VSC of the race.
Haas had pitted Ocon, following the majority of the grid into the pits, including Hülkenberg. The German driver was able to gain on the pit entry and a slightly better stop by 0.2s moved him ahead.
“Yeah, everybody who I was fighting with, they took the VSC anyway. But the plan for us was to get both Audis at the start and we executed. We got Gabi [Borteleto] off the line and we got Nico [Hülkenberg] around turn 2 and we were in the points from there on. We knew they were going to be tough to hold on, but we managed to do so in the first stint.
“Unfortunately, we lost the position at the stop. I need to exactly see what I could have done better. If I had to stop a little bit differently or come in a bit harder or slower. We got a decent stop, but I think Audi got a really, really good one. And unfortunately, from there, we were behind after that.
“We tried to save tyres as much as we could and then in a way to have a shot at the end. I was catching up at the end. I only finished below 4 seconds, so it was very, very close.”
Positives of the weekend
Ocon reflected on the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, and shared that despite missing out on the points, he is impressed by the genuine increase in pace of his VF-26. As he reflected, “But a lot of positives to take away from this weekend.”
One of the biggest takeaway from the weekend is the resolution of problems his VF-26 faced a week prior in Monza where he finished a lap behind race winner Kimi Antonelli in P16. The Frenchman had faced a myrade of issues including a severe lack of downforce, he was also running an older-spec Ferrari power unit.
Following the end of the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, Ocon’s confidence in his VF-26 was regained and he took the time to highlight the hard work of the Haas garage. Part problems have been a recurring theme for the team throughout the campaign, something he has spoken about extensively.
The 30-year-old added he wished he could have brought home points to the team espescailly after the team’s continuous effort to give him a competitive car. Following the 2026 F1 Spanish GP, Haas remains ahead of Audi in the Contstructors’ Championship, although they only hold a four-point lead now.
“I think we fixed the issues from Monza. The boys and girls in the garage have worked their ass off to get a decent car. And we had a decent car this weekend.
“We extracted more than what the car could do. I don’t think the car could be in those kind of positions and we did so.
“I’m really proud of everyone, but sad at the same time because we could have got a point today. Everything went smoothly. It almost went everything smoothly. But everyone deserves that point today.”
How Haas upgraded their performance at the 2026 F1 Spanish GP
Ocon was then asked if Haas was able to identify the consistency issue coming into the 2026 F1 Spanish GP and how the team was able to find the extra pace.
The Frenchman shared his insights on the American outfit’s progress and shared that while the team did not bring any new upgrades to Madrid, the team has been “cycling through parts”.
While his confidence in the VF-26 has been restored this weekend, Ocon also admitted that the team would still have to wait to see how certain car parts would perform in the coming races.
“We keep cycling through parts basically. Both my car and Olile [Bearman]’s car this weekend have been very similar in terms of performance. And you could see in FP3 where we were within the same tenth. So that was positive, but we need to see now with the remaining floors and bodywork, where we get into the next races.”
