After just six races into the 2025 F1 season, Jack Doohan was replaced by Franco Colapinto at Alpine and started to fade from the scene soon after.
Colapinto’s pointless debut year did little to shift Alpine’s view, and by January, they had cut ties altogether so Doohan could look elsewhere.
He was linked with a move to Super Formula, but that didn’t pan out either. Three crashes at the same Suzuka corner during testing didn’t help his cause.
The 23-year-old has now been named Haas reserve driver for 2026, joining Ryo Hirakawa in the role. The target is clear: a path back onto the F1 grid. Recent remarks from team principal Ayao Komatsu about Esteban Ocon might provide exactly the kind of motivation Doohan needs to seize that chance.
Komatsu’s Ocon remarks might give Doohan a shot at an F1 return
Speaking to Motorsport Italia about Ocon’s first season with the team after his move from Alpine, Komatsu didn’t shy away from sharing some critical thoughts.
“If you look purely at the sporting result, without going into the details, certainly no one is satisfied with Esteban’s sporting result last year,” Komatsu said.
“He was the teammate of a rookie. Yes, an extraordinary rookie, but he still has 10 years of F1 behind him. He’s a race winner, he’s been on the podium. So we expected more from him.”
It wasn’t all on Ocon though. The team boss admitted there were issues on their side as well.
“And obviously it’s not entirely his fault, it’s a 50-50 situation. Sometimes it’s the team: we weren’t able to give him a car he felt comfortable with, especially in qualifying.”
The problems seemed to hit harder at certain tracks than others. Komatsu pointed to Baku as a clear example.
Ollie Bearman happens to be one of Haas’ most successful drivers ever and won seven races over two seasons before joining Red Bull for 2026 where he continued his form by winning another three races.
But despite that context for Ocon, things are never simple in Formula 1 and there are always multiple reasons why things go wrong between both driver and team.
Why the 2026 F1 season could be a defining moment for Esteban Ocon
Ocon ended the 2025 F1 drivers’ championship in 15th place, three points and two spots behind rookie teammate Oliver Bearman.
It’s not a great look, especially as he was the only experienced driver to finish behind a rookie teammate over a full season, with Liam Lawson’s short stint at Red Bull being the only exception.
Even more concerning was his form towards the end of the year. Ocon scored points in just five of the final 13 races, and if that trend continues into next season, Haas might start looking seriously at Jack Doohan as an alternative.
Ocon also expressed frustration with his car during an interview in Abu Dhabi. He said: “There’s a lot of instability. I feel like I don’t know how to drive anymore, like I can’t put a lap together. It’s been unmanageable for many races.”
He continued: “We can’t solve the problems, and the car doesn’t suit my driving style, so… we’re just slow. We’re very, very far from where we should be.”
This could be a make-or-break season for Ocon, with Komatsu potentially already considering Doohan as his successor if things don’t improve quickly.
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