Guenther Steiner questions Esteban Ocon's Haas future amid Leonardo Fornaroli, Rafael Camara, Yuki Tsunoda rumours

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has questioned whether Esteban Ocon deserves to keep his seat following a period of underwhelming results.

Ocon's future at Haas has become the subject of much speculation, having underperformed compared to his teammate Ollie Bearman.

The British driver leads the head-to-head against Ocon by 6-2 in qualifying and 5-3 in Grand Prixs in 2026.

In regard to the Drivers' Championship, Bearman sits in 11th place with 18 points, while Ocon is down in 16th spot with just three points to his name.

Steiner questions whether the Frenchman has done enough to prove he deserves to keep the seat at Haas.

"Should he be there?" - Steiner

"I always say nobody deserves anything in Formula 1. Everything you have, you have to work for it," Steiner told Sports Mole.

"You know, at the moment, I think his performance, in my opinion, is not where he should be.

"If you compare it with Ollie Bearman, you know, Ollie is doing a fantastic job. Esteban Ocon, you know, has got a lot more experience, but is quite a bit off Ollie Bearman right now.

"So that says to me, should he be there? Maybe there are better options out there. I don't really know who's on the market next year. I mean, there will be a few rookies out again, who will knock on the door."

According to The Race, reigning Formula 2 champion and McLaren reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli has emerged as a leading contender to take Ocon's seat.

Ferrari academy driver Rafael Camara, who is currently racing in Formula 2, is another name that has been mentioned as a contender should Haas choose a rising star.

Tsunoda emerges as experienced option for Haas

Steiner views Yuki Tsunoda as a contender if Haas goes down the route of picking an experienced driver, although it remains to be seen if his links with Honda will hinder his chances.

"There is the option of Yuki Tsunoda, who could jump in if needed because he has got a lot of experience and he's a good driver," Steiner added.

"But I don't know if he would leave the Honda stable, or maybe he would need to move to Toyota, because if Toyota is still the title sponsor of Haas next year, then I think he would be an option among the experienced drivers.

"But other than Yuki, there is not a lot of experienced material out there who could go to Haas, to be honest."

Tsunoda is looking for a way back into the Formula 1 spotlight after being replaced at Red Bull by Isak Hadjar at the end of the 2025 season.

The Japanese driver is currently serving as Red Bull's reserve driver as he weighs up his future options.

Guenther Steiner was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of 247Bet.