Haas F1 driver Esteban Ocon has outlined his early pecking order for the 2026 grid based on performance at the Barcelona pre-season test, naming Mercedes and Ferrari as the current frontrunners. He added that Haas appears to be part of the chasing group behind the top four teams, which also includes Red Bull and McLaren.
Esteban Ocon joined Haas from Alpine in 2025, a move that proved fruitful in the short term as the American outfit outperformed its French rivals last season. Looking ahead, however, Haas’ long-term prospects remain unclear, with the team facing the same unknowns as the rest of the grid under the new regulations set to begin in 2026.
But many within and outside the paddock got their first views of what the F1 grid may look like following the private pre-season test that took place at Barcelona from January 26-30. Esteban Ocon shared his views on what the pecking order looked like following the test, as he emphasized that it was still too early to make a final call.
“I think it’s a bit early to talk about the pecking order, but we’ve seen that Mercedes was very fast over the whole test. We’ve also seen that the Ferrari was in a very good position, the Red Bull was doing well and the McLaren was in the mix too,” said Ocon [via Motorsport]
“For now, that’s what Barcelona told us. It will be tighter in the group behind, VCARB, Alpine and ourselves, and a little step behind, for now, Audi and Cadillac. It’s a bit early to talk about it, we’ll need to see in Bahrain. But for now, that’s what we think is happening,” he added.
Esteban Ocon also reserved judgment on Aston Martin and Williams, as the former only appeared for the final two days of running with limited mileage, while the latter was unable to take part at all due to failed crash tests before the test.
Most teams and drivers admitted that mileage was the main focus during the Barcelona test, as everyone looked to understand the durability of the new regulation engines. On that front, Haas impressed, finishing only behind Mercedes and Ferrari in total laps completed.
Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman combined for 387 laps across the three days, with Ocon completing the majority at 239, the second most of any driver. Ayao Komatsu’s squad will now analyze the data gathered before rejoining the rest of the grid for the next pre-season test in Bahrain from February 11 to 13.
Esteban Ocon Pleasantly Surprised With Haas’ Barcelona Test Performance
Esteban Ocon said he was delighted with Haas’ performance at the Barcelona Pre-Season test, admitting he had not expected such an impressive showing in terms of mileage. The 29-year-old added that everyone around him did “an awesome job” to ensure the test ran smoothly without any major issues.
Reflecting on the team’s efforts in Spain, Ocon explained that he did not anticipate such a productive few days before running began.
“No, definitely not, I was not expecting that. I think it was an awesome job, you know, by the whole team,” he said.
Haas also carried out a filming day at Fiorano on Saturday, January 24, just two days before the test. Ocon revealed that he expected this to cause delays to their schedule, but was pleased that everything stayed on track.
“I never thought that would have been possible. I thought there would have been some problem on the motorway, some traffic or whatever, and the car would be late. But yeah, we were ready at 9 AM and we did 150-whatever laps on Monday. It was crazy.”
Esteban Ocon later reiterated that he expected Haas to finish with the third most laps of any team at the test. He concluded by saying that the team can now be more confident it will not struggle with reliability under the 2026 F1 regulations.
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