Former Haas team principal Günther Steiner: This driver is set to be out in 2027

Long-serving Haas team principal Günther Steiner spoke on the Red Flags podcast about which driver is at risk of losing his seat when it comes to the 2027 grid.

During the podcast, the Merano native focused in particular on the situation at his former team, Haas: “I think Oliver Bearman is doing a very good job. Esteban Ocon, on the other hand, often simply says – that’s just the best we can manage.”

Bearman got off to a flying start in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, finishing 7th in Australia and even 5th in China, but after that the Ferrari junior managed to finish in the top ten only once more, coming 10th in Montreal. Since then, he has failed to score points on six consecutive occasions, though he still sits 13th in the championship.

Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon has managed just two top-ten finishes – 10th in Japan and 9th in Monaco – which amounts to a paltry three points and 17th place in the championship. For Steiner, that’s simply not good enough.

“The gap between the two is too big for my liking. I think it’s actually the biggest speed gap between team-mates in this year’s World Championship. Especially in qualifying. So, quite honestly – I don’t think Ocon has a future there. I suspect this is his last year there.”

Topic of the week

The 2027 Formula 1 grid: Will the transfer bombshell only drop in the autumn?

Summertime, holiday season, the silly season: these are the weeks when the most outrageous driver changes are usually discussed. The big news for the 2027 season is yet to materialise.

Mathias Brunner

Read more

Who does Steiner see as a new signing for Haas? “I could well imagine another Ferrari junior there – the Formula 2 driver Rafael Camara.”

Steiner, however, considers a return for Yuki Tsunoda to the grid to be rather unrealistic: “It’ll be very difficult for Yuki because of his connection to Honda. He’s a Honda driver. And I don’t think he’ll switch to Toyota. So I’d put my money on Camara.”