Esteban Ocon agrees that his Haas replacement Rafael Camara deserves his chance to be in Formula 1, but feels he does not deserve to be without a seat for 2027.
Camara's signing was confirmed last week as the Brazilian steps up from F2 - where he is currently the championship leader. Although Oliver Bearman is yet to be officially announced by Haas as staying at the team, the American outfit is hoping to extend his deal.
With no real opportunities left on the 2027 grid barring any surprise exits, Ocon's options are slim and the 30-year-old is most likely looking at a reserve deal to keep his hand in - rather than making a switch to a different category.
Ocon was adamant that his performances were not the reason for his departure, but once more would not be drawn on the specific reasons why Haas chose not to extend his deal.
"I can't say very much. What I will say is that Rafa deserves a shot in F1. I think he's shown in the categories that he's very good," he said ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix.
"But I don't deserve to be out of F1 at the same time. That's it. I'm coming here to do the best job I can, trying to exploit the maximum out of the car.
"As I said, I deserve to be here in Formula 1. There are many circumstances why I'm not here next year. But they are not the performance reasons. I've won everything in every category.
Rafael Camara joins Haas F1 Team for 2027
Photo by: Haas F1 Team
"I've done in go-karts, in Formula Renault, in Formula 3, in GP3, in F1. In all these categories I've won races. Just thinking from a sports perspective, I deserve to be in F1. I believe that this is not my last year in F1."
Ocon's focus, then, was on ensuring that he could continue to deliver in his final races for Haas and assist the team in its fight to retain seventh in the constructors' championship - it is currently seven points clear of Audi.
Although he'd received public support following the news that he was out of a drive for 2026, Ocon stated that he didn't need private support from his fellow drivers - and nor had he received anyway.
"Of course I talk to some of the guys in private life," the Frenchman added. "Lance came to speak to me for example. But I didn't receive any messages from anyone.
"They haven't texted me - supportive in the press. It's fine. It's not the end anyway. I'm not calling for any support from any drivers or whatever. That's not what I need. It's a difficult world for everybody in a way.
"We are all living in that same thing. If you don't perform for three races, you are the worst. If you perform in three good races, you are the best. So, that's the difficulty of the sport."
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