Esteban Ocon’s departure from Haas after the 2026 season has sparked rumours he may join Toyota’s WEC programme, but the Japanese factory has denied the claim.
Potential Paths in Formula 1
With Haas ending its partnership, Ocon’s remaining viable F1 options narrow to Aston Martin, which has confirmed Alonso and Stroll, and Cadillac, leaving no realistic front‑row seat.
Tokyo’s Steadfast Stance
Alexander Wurz, Toyota’s WEC adviser, clarified on Formel1.de that the “rumours” are unfounded. “Toyota plans far ahead for Le Mans, and no changes to the current six‑driver line‑up are planned,” he said.
He noted the difficulty of assembling a cohesive trio of top drivers: “When you put three alpha personalities in one car, it takes time for them to accept each other, to find the right set‑up and the right way of working together, and to reach a point where they don’t compete against each other internally but actually bring out the best in one another.”
Maintaining the culture built since 2012, Wurz added, “We have long‑term contracts. You cannot simply bring another driver from the outside and slot him into the line‑up without risking the cohesion we have cultivated.”
Toyota currently runs two cars in the WEC: one with Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi, and a second featuring Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa. The team celebrated a shoot‑out victory at Fuji, with Hirakawa scoring a late surge that secured the win for the local home race.
Given the established roster and long‑term contracts, Ocon’s future will likely remain within Formula 1’s current grid, rather than a move to Toyota’s endurance programme.
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