Just four rounds into the 2026 Formula 1 season, the paddock is consumed by rumors that Esteban Ocon might not even make it to the summer break.
Not too long ago, we revealed how the whole dynamic between Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu and Esteban Ocon has completely hit the fan. “Ayao Komatsu doesn’t like Ocon. He clearly doesn’t like him,” was something Julien Cerasoli had revealed via F1-Gate.
And with how Formula 1 has recently shown zero hesitation to execute mid-season driver swaps, just look at Jack Doohan’s brief six-race stint at Alpine last year before Franco Colapinto took over. If Komatsu decides he cannot afford to carry Ocon’s lack of production in the midfield battle, the clock will expire on the Frenchman’s Haas career.
So, who has the highest chance of replacing the Frenchman? Here is what you need to know about the five drivers waiting in the wings for a mid-season call-up.
5 Drivers That Could Be Waiting on Ocon’s Exit
Rafael Câmara and Dino Beganovic (The Ferrari Pipeline)
Haas operates with incredibly deep ties to Maranello, and the Scuderia’s junior pipeline is currently overflowing with talent looking for an F1 promotion.
Both Rafael Câmara and Dino Beganovic have made highly encouraging starts to the 2026 Formula 2 campaign. If Ferrari wants to evaluate one of their top prospects in top-tier machinery against a known quantity like Bearman, brokering a mid-season deal to slot Câmara or Beganovic into Ocon’s seat is a very real possibility.
Yuki Tsunoda (The Blockbuster Free Agent)
This is the elephant in the room. After Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad took over the Racing Bulls seats for 2026, Yuki Tsunoda was left without a drive. However, Tsunoda’s camp was reportedly already in talks with Haas late last season. More importantly, with Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) taking on a much larger role with Haas, bringing in a highly experienced, aggressive Japanese driver with a massive fan base makes total commercial and competitive sense.
Ryo Hirakawa (The Toyota Connection)
Do not count out Ryo Hirakawa. The Japanese driver has maintained a consistent presence with Haas, regularly competing in FP1 practice sessions for the American outfit. Thanks to his strong ties with Toyota, putting Hirakawa in the car full-time could serve as a massive strategic and financial play for Haas, further cementing their partnership capabilities.
Sho Tsuboi (The Secret Audition)
And if we continue looking at the Toyota connection, Sho Tsuboi is a massive under-the-radar threat. A year ago, Toyota reportedly put both Tsuboi and Ryo Hirakawa in Haas F1 cars for a test at Fuji. As reported by Motorsport.com, Tsuboi’s time in the car was strictly viewed as an “audition” rather than a simple reward for his domestic racing success. If TGR wants their own homegrown talent in the seat, Tsuboi is waiting in the wings.
