Despite starting 17th on the grid, Haas’ Esteban Ocon produced a strong recovery drive in Sunday’s race at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP to claim a hard-earned point with a tenth-place finish. This additional point allowed the French driver to retain ninth place in the 2025 Drivers’ Championship standings. He remains ahead of KICK Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg, who now sits tenth after securing two points with a ninth-place finish of his own at the Red Bull Ring.
While speaking to the media following the race, Ocon reflected on his performance and the wider state of Haas’ form this season. He expressed satisfaction with the VF-25’s reliability but acknowledged that further work was necessary to extract the car’s full potential, particularly in Qualifying trim.
When asked if he was pleased with his tenth-place finish at the 2025 F1 Austrian GP, Ocon responded candidly, “Yeah, definitely.”
However, he quickly noted that the weekend had exposed several recurring issues within the team’s current performance package, particularly their lack of one-lap pace. He underlined this as a critical area for improvement.
“We know what to work on. We need to work to get more pace out of Qualifying.”
Race pace brings encouragement, but limitations persist
Ocon went on to explain that improving Haas’ 2025 F1 Austrian GP Qualifying pace would have a direct and significant impact on race day performance. He expressed confidence in the VF-25’s capabilities over long runs but acknowledged that starting deep in the field made Sunday afternoons more difficult than they needed to be.
“That would make our Sundays easier. But we have a good race car underneath us. We showed today that we had the competitiveness to be able to fight inside the point-scoring zone. We were able to make good moves and a bit too tight moves at times. I got pushed out of the track quite a few times, so it was tough racing. The car was very reliable, which was a good thing.”
Although encouraged by his ability to battle into the top ten, Ocon admitted that the team’s efforts deserved greater reward. He noted the significance of even a single point, particularly with team-mate Oliver Bearman narrowly missing out in eleventh place. However, the lack of further reward for the intense effort expended disappointed him.
“To get a small reward for such a hard race is not well-paid, I would say. But it’s still a good reward for the team and hopefully that will make the difference at the end of the year.”
Strategy decisions and tyre analysis
Ocon was also asked about Haas’ strategic decisions during the 2025 F1 Austrian GP race, particularly the team’s choice to run two stints on the hard compound tyre. He admitted that the first set had performed well and brought clear benefits but remained unsure about the effectiveness of the second stint. With multiple alternative strategies in play across the field, he stated that only a thorough post-race analysis would reveal whether the right calls had been made.
“Yes, I think the first set really worked out. I’m not sure about the second one. We need to see in hindsight. There were a lot of possible combinations. I think in any strategy, one-stop, two-stop with a medium or whatever, we would have ended up in the same place. That’s my feeling in hindsight. Now we need to see exactly when I sit down with the guys there in the office.”
Despite the uncertainty around the second hard stint, Ocon remained convinced that no alternate strategy would have changed the final result significantly. According to his assessment, the car’s inherent limitations and starting position had set a ceiling on the race outcome.
Qualifying struggles and DRS disadvantage
When questioned about the sharp contrast between Haas’ performance in the 2025 F1 Austrian GP Qualifying and the race, Ocon provided a technical explanation rooted in straight-line speed differences and the impact of DRS usage. He revealed that during Qualifying, Haas struggled significantly when rival cars activated their DRS systems. Without DRS in play during the race, the VF-25 became more competitive and better able to challenge others on track.
“To be clear, we struggled a little bit in straight-line speed in Qualifying. When people use their DRS, they are just quicker than us. When people don’t use DRS, we just got in the mix.”
He added that the VF-25 also lacked performance through high-speed corners. At the Red Bull Ring, this deficit became most noticeable in Turns 6 and 7, where Haas consistently lost time to other teams. Ocon credited improved tyre and race management for keeping them competitive in other areas, but reiterated that high-speed performance remained a key development area.
“And the high-speed corners. Turn 6 and 7 here was the place where we were slower compared to others. Now with a bit more tyre management, overheating and stuff, we are more into the fight. We are pretty decent in low speed, so that is where we need to improve. We will see if we manage to improve next week.”
Looking ahead with confidence
Looking forward to the next round at Silverstone, Ocon addressed the possibility of resolving Haas’ most pressing issues in time for the 2025 F1 British GP. While unsure whether fixes could be implemented that quickly, he expressed unwavering confidence in the team’s ability to address the car’s weaknesses in due course. The team had correctly identified the root problems, and that, Ocon stressed, was the first and most crucial step toward progress.
“I got full confidence in the team that we should be able to help it. I don’t know if it will be rectified, but we know definitely where to work.”
As the 2025 season continues to unfold, Ocon’s steady performances, strong racecraft, and technical insight continue to prove valuable for Haas. With a clear development direction and a reliable car underneath him, the Frenchman remains focused on extracting every possible point as the championship heads to Silverstone.
