Ocon dropped by Haas after Mexico City dispute, faces time out from F1
Esteban Ocon has been removed from Haas' race line-up for the remainder of this season after a dispute following Friday practice in Mexico City last weekend, the team confirmed on Tuesday evening. The French driver will not race for Haas again, the announcement said.
Ocon, 30, has started 198 grands prix since his 2016 debut and was already due to leave Haas at the end of the year, with limited prospects of securing a seat for next season. The Mexico City incident accelerated his exit and leaves him targeting a role as a reserve driver while he seeks to rebuild his career. He has previously been without an F1 seat, notably in 2019 when Force India was bought by Lawrence Stroll and his son Lance was given the drive.
The immediate cause of Ocon's removal centred on a confrontation with team principal Ayao Komatsu after Friday practice, with lawyers now involved and few people willing to speak about the matter. Team sources said Ocon objected over the radio to a change in his run plan from soft to medium tyres, telling engineer Laura Mueller: "No, no. I wanted the soft. Don't do that to me. Come on." A Saturday morning decision first ruled him out for the weekend and, later that day, Ocon posted on social media that "a difference in viewpoints led to a discussion with the parties involved" and he "categorically rejected any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature". France's L'Equipe reported a meeting between Komatsu and Ocon "ended abruptly, perhaps even physically".
Haas said little publicly at the weekend but on Tuesday evening confirmed Ocon would not drive for the team again, a move the team viewed as necessary after a deterioration in relations. Team officials had expressed frustration with Ocon's conduct before Mexico City, and Komatsu concluded the relationship had to end immediately. Ocon did secure a podium for Alpine in Brazil in 2024 during his career.
Performance comparisons with team-mates have repeatedly worked against Ocon: he was outpaced by Oliver Bearman across his two seasons at Haas and by Pierre Gasly, Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo at previous teams in the years cited. On-track incidents and intra-team tension have recurred, including a Monaco practice episode where Bearman called Ocon "an idiot" over the radio and a collision between the pair toward the end of last year's British Grand Prix.
Ocon's time at Alpine included a turbulent partnership with Gasly that featured two crashes and ended with Ocon being released before the final race of the season, the first occasion he was dropped with one race to go. He and Gasly had been childhood friends before falling out nearly 20 years ago, according to the account in this report.
Ocon came through Mercedes' young driver programme and was taken on as a reserve after losing his Force India drive in 2019. Toto Wolff reportedly considered pairing him with Lewis Hamilton but believed their characters would clash and kept Valtteri Bottas for 2020; Mercedes instead focused on George Russell, who was judged the team's future. Mercedes later helped arrange Ocon's return to the grid with Renault in 2020, the same team that became Alpine in 2021.
Ocon's sole Grand Prix win came in Hungary in 2021 in chaotic conditions: a wet start produced a multi-car pile-up that removed several rivals, the race was red-flagged, and on the restart most cars pitted for slicks while Hamilton briefly remained out before stopping and dropping to the back. Ocon emerged into the lead from Sebastian Vettel and, with Alpine managing the race, kept the lead to take victory while Fernando Alonso delayed Hamilton for several laps.
Ocon is now without a race seat at Haas and faces a period out of the cockpit, with the stated aim of finding a reserve role as he attempts to relaunch his Formula 1 career.