New details come out about Esteban Ocon’s team boss ‘disagreement’ as contract is about to end.
The F1 world was surprised when Esteban Ocon was suddenly removed from his seat during the Mexico City GP weekend. Now, a new report sheds more light on the situation and suggests this might also be the end of his time with Haas.
The outspoken French driver got into a heated argument on team radio with his Haas engineer over tyre choices during Friday’s practice. Then, shockingly, on Saturday, it was announced he wouldn’t take part in the rest of the event.
There were rumors about a “physical altercation” between Ocon and Haas boss Ayao Komatsu, which Ocon denied on social media. But a new report claims that during a meeting, Ocon actually “grabbed the shoulder” of the team principal.
Before the Bahrain GP in Malaysia, Ocon had already been told he wouldn’t be needed by Haas next year, with young Brazilian Rafael Camara set to replace him. With few options on the grid, Ocon was clearly upset and told reporters he “did not deserve” to end his F1 career like this.
The tension seemed to carry into the Mexico City weekend. On team radio, Ocon got frustrated while discussing tyre choices with engineer Laura Mueller.
“We’ve switched the high fuel run to medium, because Ollie [Bearman]’s appearance isn’t right,” Mueller said.
“I’m still doing soft tyres, right?” Ocon replied.
“No, we’re doing medium,” she told him.
“No, no. I want to do soft… don’t do that to me, come on,” Ocon protested.
As he was being wheeled back into the garage, Ocon said, “Yeah, it is my turn this weekend, so come on.”
The disagreement reportedly continued in the team’s hospitality area between Ocon and Komatsu. L’Equipe reported they had a ‘physical altercation,’ but Ocon denied that online.
However, new information has come out giving more details. No one denies there was a tense argument between Ocon and Komatsu on Friday.
After the weekend, the German paper Bild reported more about what happened. It said that later Friday evening, during a team meeting, things became heated. Ocon wanted to apologize and asked for a meeting with Komatsu on Saturday. Komatsu told him he wasn’t interested in talking. Ocon refused to leave until they spoke. When Komatsu tried to leave, Ocon allegedly grabbed him by the shoulder.
Whatever exactly happened, Ocon clearly crossed a line with Haas and Komatsu. On Saturday, the team quickly announced he wouldn’t race that weekend and put their reserve driver, Ryo Hirakawa, in his place.
Interestingly, Komatsu was the one doing interviews with Sky from the pitwall that weekend. When asked about Ocon during Free Practice 3, he said, “I can’t go into detail, but I can say that he is not ill.”
Ocon’s name, picture, and number were immediately taken down from the garage and hospitality areas and replaced with Hirakawa’s.
After some post-race penalties, Hirakawa scored a point by finishing tenth in his debut. He might be replaced by Camara next race—but what about Ocon?
Bild reports that Ocon’s contract will be ended, which could mean a harsh finish to his time at Haas and maybe even his F1 career.
As for Ocon’s future, there are only a few F1 seats left for 2027, and none seem likely for him. A more realistic plan might be taking a reserve driver role and waiting for another chance next season. He’s previously been an Aston Martin (when called Racing Point) and Alpine driver and told L’Equipe he’s talking with Aston Martin about a reserve position.
Ocon might also consider switching to sports car racing. The famous Le Mans 24 Hours race in France is a big draw for French drivers and could be a great opportunity.
Another option could be IndyCar in the US. IndyCar races on fast oval tracks where drivers race inches from walls at over 200 mph. Many F1 drivers find it too scary to try—but could Ocon be the one to take on the challenge?