Esteban Ocon shares a heartfelt message on social media after tough Haas F1 exit
Esteban Ocon shared a message on social media after surprising news about his exit from the Haas F1 team. The French driver’s 2026 season ended suddenly during the Mexico City GP weekend, after a disagreement with his team about which tyres to use in practice.
After the news broke, Ocon had to deny claims of a “violent fight” with his team boss, Ayao Komatsu.
The F1 world was shocked when Haas announced two weeks ago that Ocon would be replaced by Ferrari Junior Rafael Camara for 2027. Ocon said he “didn’t deserve” to lose his spot in F1.
Tensions were clear at the Mexico GP, where Ocon argued with his engineer, Laura Mueller, during the second practice about tyre choices. Mueller told him, “We’ve switched the high fuel run to medium because Ollie [Bearman] looks off.” Ocon replied, “I’m still doing soft, right?” Mueller replied, “No, it’s medium.” Ocon pushed back, “No, I want to do soft… come on, it’s my turn this weekend.”
The disagreement didn’t end there and reportedly led to Ocon leaving the team. Some reports claimed there was a physical fight between Ocon and Komatsu, but Ocon denied this, while Haas didn’t confirm or deny.
After Toyota’s Ryo Hirakawa replaced Ocon in Mexico and scored a point due to others’ disqualifications, Camara took over for the rest of 2026.
After staying quiet since denying the violent altercation, Ocon recently wrote a message to his fans:
“Hi everyone,
Thank you so much for all your kind messages and support. It really means a lot to me. I’m also grateful to the fans, colleagues, and former team members who reached out. My love for racing is as strong as ever, and I’m happy to share that passion with you all. Thanks again for your kindness and encouragement. – Esteban”
Right now, it looks unlikely Ocon will get another full-time F1 seat. Racing Bulls are expected to keep their current drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Cadillac seems set to pick either Colton Herta or replace Valtteri Bottas.
If Ocon wants to stay connected with F1, a reserve driver role is possible, with Aston Martin—his former team when it was called Force India—being the most likely choice.
Stay tuned for more updates!