Esteban Ocon: I don’t deserve all the s**t that I have on my back
Esteban Ocon was left to rue that nothing was going right for him
BAKU – Esteban Ocon cut a frustrated figure as he spoke of all the “s**t” that keeps piling up on him this season, the latest being his Q2 elimination in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Facing an uncertain future after he announced that he was a “free agent” at the end of this season, Ocon vowed to “keep pushing” and then “see how it goes”.
Esteban Ocon’s Baku qualifying frustration after Q2 elimination
On his first day in the car after that revelation, the Frenchman secured back-to-back top-ten times in Thursday’s practices in Baku.
That had Ocon believing he could secure a Q3 berth in qualifying.
His efforts, though, were undone by a yellow flag in Q2 as Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad went off.
Ocon had to back off and was eliminated in 14th place, three-tenths shy of Franco Colapinto’s P10 time. The Haas driver reckons that was the time he lost by slowing for the flag.
“Unbelievable,” Ocon told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Baku.
“We were on for a Q3 lap, the car was working well. We don’t have many chances like this when the car is working well. It hasn’t been working throughout the whole season. We improved things, but we had a Q3 car today.
“And yellow flag, basically.
“I got a gust of wind the lap before, but I was on for a Q3 lap as well. And then I did the same lap time, again arriving to Turn 15.
“I don’t know who went off, but I had to back off on the exit to make sure that I was not going to get any penalty. And I did exactly the same lap time. So I lost, what, three, four tenths with that?
“Unbelievable. I just have no words. It’s different race weekend, same shit, you know.
“It’s always something going on my side, if it’s either the car, if it’s something else, yellow flag, Safety Cars, whatever.
“But I don’t deserve all the shit that I have on my back at the moment. So, I don’t know. I might need to take a good shower.”
More on Esteban Ocon on PlanetF1.com
Esteban Ocon to leave Haas as F1 2027 replacement emerges
Haas boss breaks silence on Esteban Ocon’s ‘free agent’ comment
Ocon’s woes were compounded by his belief that his VF-26 was the best it has been all season.
“Yes,” he said when asked about that, “but I think we’re very far from where it should be.”
But while he is hoping to fight for points in Saturday’s Grand Prix, the 30-year-old was not very optimistic.
“We need to fight in the top 10 tomorrow now, because we are 14th, we are not in the top 10,” he said. “At the end of the day, yes, we were competitive, but we can’t get there.
“Never. It’s never happening.”
Ocon has scored just three points this season and is on an eight-race streak without a top-ten showing.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read Next: Winners and losers from the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying
