Esteban Ocon fears Formula 1’s 2026 cars could make overtaking a tougher art rather than an easier one after sampling Haas’s new-generation machine during last week’s Barcelona running.
The early verdict from the Frenchman was far from celebratory. While the sport’s new regulation cycle promises lighter drag figures, reduced downforce and a brand-new Overtake Mode designed to replace DRS, the initial feel from behind the wheel suggests wheel-to-wheel combat may not come as naturally as the rules intend.
Haas completed close to 400 laps across the three days of permitted running at the Circuit de Catalunya, giving both drivers a meaningful taste of the VF-26 and its stripped-back aerodynamic philosophy.
The car embodies Formula 1’s 2026 reset: downforce trimmed by as much as 30 percent and drag slashed significantly in a bid to promote closer racing. But theory and asphalt, as ever, are not always aligned.
Dirty Air, Big Questions
Ocon’s first impressions were cautious, even slightly foreboding. The Frenchman pointed to a noticeable drop in front grip when chasing another car – a familiar complaint in modern F1, and one the new regulations were specifically designed to reduce.
“I've been following a few cars,” Ocon said. “You seem to lose quite a lot of front load, a bit more maybe than before, but we need to see. And the Overtake [Mode], yes, I played with it.
©Haas
“I don't want to give too early conclusions on how it's going to be because obviously, you know, it needs to be adjusted, optimised, etc., for that to work in a perfect way.
“But so far, it looks to be difficult to pass. That's my first thought about it, but I hope it's going to get on the easier side.”
The concern is not just about raw speed, but about how the cars behave in turbulent air – the invisible wall that often turns overtaking attempts into tire-chewing frustrations.
Even with the new push-to-pass style energy boost replacing DRS, the early feeling is that getting close enough to deploy it effectively may be the real challenge.
Bearman Echoes the Warning
Ocon’s Haas teammate Oliver Bearman, still adapting to the relentless pace of full-time Formula 1 life, arrived at a similar conclusion despite limited comparative laps in traffic. The Briton described a sharp swing in balance the moment he tucked in behind another car.
“In terms of following and overtaking and everything, I didn't really get a massive feeling on that of course, it's not a priority,” the 20-year-old commented. “I managed to do a few laps in and around other cars.
©Haas
“I must say that it was a bit more challenging to follow, just given my relatively few laps I did. It picked up quite a big shift in balance compared to clean air, which seemed a bit more so than the previous generation of cars. But again, it's very early days.
“No, I didn't really get to use the overtake mode, but I was still able to try it just in clean air. We need to obviously see the difference in cooling and all of those things.
“So I was able to try it, but I wasn't able to use it to overtake someone, if that makes sense.”
Read also: Haas ‘moving forward’ despite VF-26 double reliability blowHis remarks underline the central paradox facing the 2026 concept: cars engineered to cut drag and simplify aerodynamics may still struggle in the messy reality of race traffic.
For Haas, and perhaps the grid at large, Barcelona offered a glimpse of both promise and uncertainty. The tools for overtaking exist – but whether drivers can consistently get close enough to use them may define the spectacle of Formula 1’s next era.
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