Promoted to Ninth, Ocon Remains Frustrated by Haas Braking Woes and Tyre Wear at Las Vegas

Short Excerpt: Promoted to P9 after McLaren’s DQs in Vegas, Esteban Ocon laments persistent Haas braking issues and minimal tyre degradation, missing the 2023-style challenges he expected.

Elevated to the Points, But Fundamental Issues Remain

Ocon was blunt after climbing to ninth: “On the brakes we had a lot of front locking; whenever we pushed it was complicated. There were positives, but we lacked the speed and confidence to really race for the bigger points.”

“On the brakes, we had a lot of front locking, and whenever we tried to push, it was complicated. We simply lacked the speed and the confidence to really race for the bigger points.”

He described repeated difficulties with brake locking as a recurring problem through several weekends, robbing him of attacking chances and blunting defensive moves against quicker cars like Hamilton’s.

Tyre Degradation Frustration: “I Wanted a 2023-Style Race”

Ocon shared his annoyance about the near-complete absence of tyre wear: “Many of us anticipated significant degradation on the front tyres, but that simply did not occur. I had hoped drivers would face difficulties at the front like they did in 2023, but that hasn’t materialised.”

“Everyone pushed hard every lap—nothing changed. I missed the 2023-style drop-off that opens strategy.”

Vegas average front-tyre degradation

Pushing to the Limit, Hoping for More in Qatar

Ocon recognised Haas extracted everything possible: “We executed our race well, but we lacked the pace needed to score points. It’s vital we find more braking confidence and pace for Qatar.”

“Qatar’s heat and mandatory two-stop should bring back degradation and shuffle the pack—hopefully we can fight for bigger rewards there.”

Technical Analysis: The Haas Challenges

• Braking System: front-locking persists on street circuits; set-up changes only partly cure the issue.
• Tyre Management: excellent for consistency, but lack of wear removes strategic variety.
• Raw Pace: still 0.4-0.5 s off the fastest midfield car in race trim.

Looking Ahead

Ocon’s feedback will feed directly into Haas’s 2026 development programme. For now, he takes the two points, keeps calm about the brakes, and pins his hopes on Qatar’s higher temperatures and compulsory two-stop strategy to recreate the tyre-drop drama he craves.