Despite a strong Qualifying performance at the 2025 F1 Miami GP, where he secured his first Q3 appearance of the season and lined up ninth on the grid, Haas driver Esteban Ocon endured a frustrating Sunday. Although he delivered what he described as a “solid race,” a combination of limited race pace and misfortune ultimately left him outside the points in P12.
Haas “lacked a bit of pace” in unlucky F1 Miami GP
Throughout the race, Ocon fought hard, including a fierce on-track battle with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. However, he struggled to keep up with the faster cars, which gradually pulled away. The Frenchman also missed several opportunities to pit under the Virtual Safety Car, which disadvantaged his strategy compared to those who benefitted from better timing.
“I think it was a solid race on our side, but we unfortunately lacked a bit of pace to be fighting with the quicker guys in front,” Ocon reflected after the race. “We also did not get very lucky, we never pitted under the VSC, many of them happened but we never got to be in that position.”
Ocon admitted his wheel-to-wheel battles during the 2025 F1 Miami GP ultimately ended in disappointment due to the VF-25’s limitations.
“Yeah, a couple of fights but always ending up in the same way so a bit frustrating on that side and I think overall, it has been a strong weekend for the team and we need to keep that going once we get some more performance out of the car.”
Ocon optimistic despite disappointing weekend
Despite his frustration, Ocon remained optimistic. He underlined the importance of the team’s learnings from Miami and expressed hope for stronger performances in the upcoming races.
“It is obviously great to be fighting with the quicker cars ahead. It shows we did a good job in Qualifying yesterday, as we went a bit backwards today. We will keep at it, I think there are some good learnings out of this weekend and some good expectations on the next ones as well so looking forward to it.”
Haas currently sits sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, 17 points behind the in-form Williams Racing squad, whose drivers Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz both scored valuable points in Miami. The American outfit will now shift focus to the European triple-header in Imola, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona, where it hopes to make gains in both performance and reliability.
Bearman “not exactly sure” what cause retirement from 2025 F1 Miami GP
That need for reliability became especially clear after Ocon’s team-mate, Oliver Bearman, retired from the race due to a technical issue. Starting from the back of the grid following a challenging Qualifying session, Bearman was unable to recover ground before encountering the failure.
“Not sure exactly what happened. I just lost driver, power steering, everything pretty much,” he explained. “Unfortunate not to be able to finish today.”
Haas has now endured two consecutive races without scoring points, a setback after its earlier success in Bahrain and China. The team will aim to regroup and return to form as the season continues to intensify.
