Esteban Ocon speaks out about what happened at the Mexico GP
Esteban Ocon has cleared up rumors about a fight with his Haas team boss, Ayao Komatsu, after he was suddenly taken out of his car in Mexico this weekend. The French driver was unexpectedly pulled from the race following a tense second practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday. Some reports said there was a heated physical clash between him and Komatsu, but Ocon says that’s not true.
On Saturday morning, it was a surprise to hear that Ocon wouldn’t be racing for the rest of the weekend, with test driver Ryo Hirakawa stepping in for him. Haas had already announced that Rafael Camara would replace Ocon after this season, but it looks like Ocon’s time with the team might have ended sooner than expected.
After all this, the French paper L’Equipe suggested there was a ‘physical altercation’ between Ocon and his team boss. However, Ocon has denied these claims. On his social media, he shared a message: “After Haas F1 Team confirmed I won’t be in the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, I want to clear up some media stories and rumors. Last night, there was a disagreement and a discussion with those involved. While I admit that happened, I strongly reject any claims of physical violence. I believe all disagreements should be handled with respect and professionalism. Please avoid spreading rumors while this is being sorted out.” He added that more news will come soon.
Ocon was clearly upset after losing his race seat before the Malaysian GP in Bahrain and told reporters he didn’t think he deserved to be out of F1. His frustration showed during Mexico GP’s second practice when he had a tense talk with his engineer, Laura Muller, about which tires to use. He wanted to switch to soft tires but was told to stick with medium, leading to a bit of back and forth on the radio. The next day, he was replaced by Hirakawa.
One reason for Ocon losing his seat to Camara was his slower performance compared to his teammate Ollie Bearman, who has been leading the way for Haas this year. Bearman gave his thoughts after qualifying: “It’s a difficult situation in the team, but I’m not fully involved in all the details. It’s not a happy situation for anyone. I’m happy for Ryo getting his shot in Formula 1 — every driver dreams of that. I wish him well, and we’ll try our best tomorrow to get a good result. We’ll keep our heads up and give it our all.”