Concerns over Esteban Ocon addressed as Haas explain F1 2025 driver plan

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu responded to concerns around Esteban Ocon and his reputation in Formula 1 for not having always been a team player at times.

While a well-liked personality off the track, Ocon has occasionally had friction with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly during their time as team-mates in on-track collisions, most recently when the Alpine drivers came to blows at the Monaco Grand Prix on the exit of Portier.

Haas boss reveals solution for Esteban Ocon team play in 2025 move

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Alpine confirmed earlier this season that 2024 would be their last campaign with Ocon, announcing a mutual split at the end of the year as the Frenchman would go back onto the driver market.

It was not long before he would find a new home however, the 27-year-old joining Haas from 2025 on a multi-year deal to line up alongside British rookie Oliver Bearman in an all-new partnership at the American team from next season.

When it was put to the team principal that Ocon brings a ‘bad boy’ reputation with him from his years in Formula 1 so far for how he has interacted with his team-mates to date, Komatsu believes there is a simple solution for how to get around that next season.

He also confirmed that, had he had any concerns about Ocon’s driving temperament, he would not have signed him anyway.

“Honestly, I think lots of it comes down to transparency, trust, and being clear – clarity of rules of engagement,” Komatsu told media including PlanetF1.com when asked about how he will handle the team’s new driver pairing next season.

“I think the problem happens when there’s certain trust broken between team and driver as well.

“Not in my current position, but I’ve been doing this around Formula 1 for a reasonably long time. And then, in my various positions, whether I’m race engineer, chief race engineer, director of engineering, or current position of team principal, my experience is as long as I approach them with transparency, no personal agenda, [but with the] clear team’s agenda about how we need to go for this race weekend this year. What’s the objective? What’s the level of engagement?

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“As long as that’s clarified in advance, as long as the communication is totally transparent, then that trust is there.

“Then when the trust is there, I haven’t actually encountered any issues that got out of hand.

“So I’m not worrying personally. If I was worried, I wouldn’t have chosen this combination because it’s my responsibility that we have two drivers who work for the team, for the best interest of our team.”

With multiple drivers still out of contract at the end of the season and Haas opting to choose Ocon over the likes of current driver Kevin Magnussen, the team principal was asked what made him select the outgoing Alpine driver for next season and beyond.

When asked why he chose Ocon to sign for the team, Komatsu responded: “Why? Because I believe he’s got a proven track record, he’s got so many points and he’s a race winner – and he achieved so much already in the sport and, again, his time against Fernando Alonso, that was pretty impressive.

“But then he’s only 27. He’s still got lots to prove and then, for me, he’s got really amazing commitment and work ethic.

“When I met him, when I explained to him about this project, where we are, what we’re trying to achieve, I wasn’t trying to convince him, I just told him as it is, and then he completely got on board in a month – to be honest, much more so than I expected.

“He was so engaged, he wanted to be part of this project, he believes in this project. So again, it means quite a lot to me that we have an experienced driver, good track record, still young, still has a lot to prove, completely 100% believing in the project, and then I’m sure he will give us [his] all. So I’m really looking forward to it.”

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