Esteban Ocon strongly denied rumours of a rift with Haas and Team Principal Ayao Komatsu ahead of the 2026 F1 Canadian Grand Prix (GP), insisting stories about his future had been “fabricated”.
Reports emerged after the Miami GP suggesting Ocon had fallen out with Komatsu and could leave Haas before the end of the season. The Frenchman joined Haas for the 2026 season and has endured a difficult start to the campaign, scoring one point from the opening four Grands Prix while team-mate Oliver Bearman has collected 17 points across Grands Prix and Sprints.
Speaking in a print media session on Thursday in Montreal, Ocon dismissed the speculation and made clear that his relationship with Komatsu remains strong.
“Honestly, it’s complete bullshit, to be honest. It’s unbelievable. I mean, we were just talking with Ayao [Komatsu] just now.
“The article I saw was calling him Ryo Komatsu, which is quite funny. And they were even saying that we had a massive dispute in Miami. And this is complete nonsense.”
“Honestly, it’s all fabricated and complete bullshit. As I said, I came to this team for the reason that I know Ayao since so long. I got a great relationship with him.
“That’s always been the case. There’s nothing like what people have been saying going on. It’s completely not true.”
Ocon fully committed to Haas ahead of F1 Canadian GP
Ocon insisted ahead of the 2026 F1 Canadian GP that he remains fully committed to Haas and said he has no issue with the team or its management. He also pointed to his contract as he moved to shut down suggestions that his future had already become uncertain.
“I’m fully focused on what I have to do, the job I have to do with the team. I’m fully on board with the team for the whole year. I got a contract with the team.
“So, I mean, Ayao will tell you more later. But honestly, it’s crazy how things have escalated. And honestly, it’s been like… I mean, I try not to pay attention too much. But when it gets so big, it’s almost like bullying, in a way.
“So, I feel good. I feel relaxed in the team. We are doing a great job in the last couple of races. It’s been, unfortunately, a bit in the beginning. As we know, we have safety cars and stuff.
“But the pace and the base foundation of the work that we are doing is there. So, it’s nothing wrong for now.”
Future talks expected later in the season with Haas F1
Ocon also addressed his longer-term future, with an option reportedly available for next season. However, he said discussions about 2027 would come later in the year rather than during the early stages of the current campaign.
“I mean, at the moment, we are only four races in. All these chats, they happen in summer.
“They always do. So, at the moment, we are just focussing on what we have to do. And then we’ll see about the future later.
“But there’s no emergency or dispute. We don’t talk with Ayao or the team. It’s all been fabricated. So, it’s unbelievable.”
Miami Haas F1 meeting was “just a normal conversation”
Ocon confirmed he had spoken with Komatsu and other members of Haas after a difficult Miami weekend, but he denied that the discussion amounted to any kind of dispute.
Instead, he described it as a routine debrief about how to improve the car and the team’s performance.
“I mean, we keep talking. Everyone, all the media team. We are all on board and in line with where we stand.
“The dispute about Miami is pretty crazy. Obviously, we had a tough weekend after Miami. So we sat down with Ayao.
“But we discussed a lot of different things. How to maybe improve this. How to get better. What was going on with the car in the weekend. It was just a normal conversation.
“So, I don’t know who’s fabricating this. But I better not see this guy because he’s going to get a big one.”
Ocon says speculation affected family and sponsors
Although Ocon said he tries not to focus on speculation, he admitted the scale of the story forced him and the team to look into it. He said the rumours had gone beyond the usual background noise because they affected people close to him, including his family and sponsors.
“You know, at the end of the day, I try not to pay attention to that too much. But that became so big for no reason that I had to get a bit involved into it. You know, our team.
“We had to have a look and understand where that could have come from. But as soon as we talked to the real people that are involved with the story, it’s quite clear that it’s complete bullshit.
“You are obviously much more fine when the story is very clear inside. Because it even gives you the doubt. ‘Did we actually have a dispute?’ Yeah, I mean, all fine.
“Obviously, I’m human, so it does affect in a way. It does affect my family. It does affect the sponsors. You know, that are obviously counting on me and supporting me for many races and seasons for some sponsors that I got.
“And it’s disappointing to see that you can make such damage to a reputation of a driver in two or three days while there’s nothing funded. And these people would just get away with no issues.
“They just fabricate stories, put all the shit on your back, and it’s all fine. It’s quite great.”
Ocon became aware after fans picked up rumours
Ocon said he did not initially want to engage with the reports, but the rumours spread widely enough on social media that he could no longer ignore them.
“Well, it became such a big thing that fans started picking up, commenting. And obviously, it’s been related on all the shitty media that are there on socials.
“And yeah, it became big that obviously you can’t just not notice it. If you live in a cave, maybe, but you cannot.”
Haas looks to reset in Canada
The rumours surrounding Ocon arrive as Haas prepares to introduce upgrades at the F1 Canadian GP. Unlike much of the grid, Haas did not bring major updates to Miami and will run its new package in Montreal. Bearman will use the new parts throughout the weekend, while Ocon will receive them after the Sprint and before Qualifying to help compare the old and new specifications.
For Ocon, however, the priority remains clear. He wants to focus on improving performance with Haas rather than responding to stories he says have no basis.
The Frenchman insisted the internal picture remains calm, despite the noise outside the team.
