Esteban Ocon will leave Haas at the end of the season, the driver and team confirmed on Wednesday, with the Frenchman defiantly vowing "this is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career."
Ocon's departure will leave him without an F1 race seat for 2027 as there are no available options left.
Haas is expected to sign Formula 2 title contender Rafael Camara in Ocon's place, although no final decision has been made and an announcement is not expected to come this week. Like Ocon's teammate Oliver Bearman, Brazilian driver Camara, 21, is part of Haas engine partner Ferrari's junior academy.
Ocon, who had already declared himself a free agent ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last week, looks likely to seek an F1 reserve or test role in the hope of a 2028 seat opening up, although he is yet to confirm his short-term plans.
He suggested external factors have held him back from performing to his best at Haas, although he did not elaborate.
"I leave this project with my head held high and proud of my performances in what were not always the easiest of circumstances for various reasons and factors outside of my control," Ocon, 30, said in a statement on Wednesday.
"My immediate focus is the next race weekend. I will continue to work hard with the team, maximise every opportunity, and keep extracting every bit of performance from the car. There are still many races to go this season and, as always, I will give it my everything behind the wheel for myself and for my team.
"I am still motivated. I am still hungry. This is absolutely not the end of my Formula 1 career."
Ocon will talk to the media on Thursday ahead of F1's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. His F1 career started with minnows Manor in 2016. The French driver had been tipped for big things as a youngster, entering F1 as a Mercedes junior, but his career never lived up to those lofty expectations, with a top drive never opening up for him.
He joined Haas at the start of 2025 after a long stint with Alpine which included his solitary F1 win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. However, he struggled to perform consistently alongside Bearman and the team was on the verge of signing Yuki Tsunoda in his place for 2026, only for Ayao Komatsu to change his mind and offer Ocon a chance to prove himself under F1's new regulation changes this year.
Ocon has not done enough this season to secure a third season. Komatsu paid tribute to Ocon's contribution and said his experience has helped the team adjust to F1's new rules.
"I'd like to thank Esteban for everything he's contributed to the team since joining us in 2025," Komatsu said. "His professionalism and commitment have proved valuable as we continue to grow as an organization. Together this year we tackled the challenge of a major regulation change, where Esteban's driving experience and inputs were significant as we've worked hard to develop the VF-26 across the season. There's still plenty of racing ahead, and our focus remains on working together to maximize every opportunity through to the final race of the year."
The Ocon news -- and Camara's expected signing in his place -- is one of the last bits of the 2027 grid to be confirmed.
Red Bull junior outfit Racing Bulls and Cadillac are yet to confirm their lineups for next season, but neither appears to be an option for Ocon in terms of a race seat. Racing Bulls is still to decide whether to continue with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, with Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov waiting in the wings. Cadillac is understood to be weighing up whether to extend Valtteri Bottas for a second season or to promote American test driver Colton Herta to a 2028 race seat.
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Much of the driver market this year hinged on the decisions of world champions Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso, but both drivers have signed deals to stay with Red Bull and Aston Martin respectively which has drastically limited movement elsewhere.
Alonso's future was one a lot of drivers in the midfield had been keeping an eye on. Although the Spanish driver delayed that decision, it seemed clear which way the wind was blowing shortly after F1's summer break when Williams drivers Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz committed to another season, and when Alpine -- the strongest candidate for Alonso's signature beyond Aston Martin -- signed Franco Colapinto to another year.
Alonso finally confirmed on Tuesday he will contest another Formula 1 season with Aston Martin in 2027. His future beyond that is unclear, meaning 45-year-old Alonso will likely hold the keys to the driver market again next season.