Haas Chief Reveals Esteban Ocon Crash Discussions Prior To Contract Signing

Saajan Jogia | Aug 10, 2024

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon of France (31) during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

As Esteban Ocon prepares to join the Haas F1 team next year, team principal Ayao Komatsu disclosed that Ocon's notorious on-track clash with Pierre Gasly during the Monaco Grand Prix was a significant point of discussion during negotiations for the 2025 seat. Komatsu expressed hope that Ocon’s past controversies won't overshadow his fresh start with Haas as he embarks on this new chapter in his career.

Ocon’s most significant incident of the 2024 season occurred in Monaco when he attempted an aggressive dive down the inside of an unsuspecting Pierre Gasly at Portier on the first lap. The resulting contact launched Gasly into the air and forced Ocon to retire, eliminating him from contention for a points-paying finish.

Ocon faced widespread criticism following the incident, with rumors circulating that he might be ousted from the team immediately after the race weekend. Though these speculations didn’t materialize, he is now in his final season with the Enstone outfit before he switches to Haas next season alongside Oliver Bearman.

Komatsu, who was promoted to the team principal role this year, revealed having a frank conversation about the incident with Ocon. He told the media:

“Of course, we had to consider it. It’s not like it’s gone unnoticed, it’s a pretty major incident. So I had a conversation with him and still made that decision. I’m happy with it."

Komatsu commended Ocon for his driving abilities and noted how their shared approach to work aligned seamlessly. This mutual understanding made Ocon an ideal fit for Haas. He added:

“He’s only 27, he’s still got lots to prove, and for me, he’s still got amazing commitment and work ethic, and when I met him and explained the project to him about where we are and what we’re trying to achieve, I wasn’t trying to convince him, I just told him as it is. And then he just got completely on board, to be honest much more so than I expected.

"He wanted to be part of this project, and he believes in this project. It means quite a lot to me that we have a driver, an experienced driver – with a good track record, still young, still has a lot to prove, and he completely 100 percent believes in the project. I am sure he will give us his all, so I am really looking forward to it.” 

The Japanese team boss emphasized his commitment to fostering a culture of transparency and trust in the team, which he considers the cornerstone of his leadership and work ethic. He elaborated:

“Honestly, I think lots of it comes down to transparency, trust and then clarity of rules of engagement.

"In my various positions of race engineer, chief race engineer, director of engineering or current position of team principal – my experience is that as long as I approach them with transparency, no personal agenda, and a clear team agenda about how we need to go through this race weekend or this year, what’s the objective, what’s the rules of engagement. As long as that’s clarified in advance, as long as the communication is totally transparent then the trust is there."