Here’s why Toto Wolff chose not to have Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton race together at Mercedes.
Toto Wolff was once given the chance to sign Esteban Ocon to race alongside Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, but the reason Ocon was passed over says a lot.
Recently, Haas dropped Ocon after rumors of a ‘physical fight’ with team boss Ayao Komatsu during last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix. Ocon quickly denied any physical clash, but a heated argument led to him losing his seat for the rest of the 2026 F1 season.
On November 4th, Haas officially announced that Ferrari junior and Formula 2 leader Rafael Camara will replace Ocon and make his Grand Prix debut in Sao Paulo.
Over his 10-year F1 career, Ocon has built a reputation for arguing with teammates. In 2024, his rocky relationship with then-Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly got worse when they crashed together in Monaco. Alpine boss Bruno Famin said Ocon’s move was “completely out of context” and not what the team wanted to see.
These moments have affected how people see Ocon, and it’s part of why he missed out on joining Mercedes seven years ago.
He came through the Mercedes young driver program and was their reserve driver in 2019 after losing his Force India seat in 2018. Toto Wolff thought Ocon had the talent to win races and championships someday. But Wolff worried their personalities would clash too much if Ocon raced alongside Hamilton.
Instead, Valtteri Bottas stayed on for 2020, and George Russell impressed at Williams. Mercedes decided Russell was the better choice for the future.
That decision marked a turning point in Ocon’s chances with a top team.
Now, Ocon likely won’t race in 2027, and it’s unclear where his career will go next.
Even before joining Haas in 2025, some weren’t sure if Ocon was the right fit. One Haas staff member was caught on Netflix’s Drive to Survive asking, “Are you 100% sure Ocon is a good fit for us?”
Still, Komatsu, the team boss he argued with, stood by him. “What matters most to me is his work ethic,” Komatsu said. “You can see he can race, so I’m confident he was the best choice.”