Ahead of this weekend’s GP in Malaysia, Haas F1 Team’s principal Ayao Komatsu has reacted to the fact that Esteban Ocon will leave the team after this year. The Frenchman himself said his performance was not the issue. His team boss didn’t immediately back him up in that regard.
“I guess it depends what he means by performance,” Komatsu answered Ocon’s statement. “Performance just encompasses, let’s say, everything, right? Honestly, when everything is right, as you can see in the previous races, he’s one of the fastest.
“He’s got great speed, he’s got great talent and he can execute at a very high level. So, when things fall into place, it’s amazing. I feel like in Budapest he has done a very good job, Zandvoort is the same.”
A welcome change of events for Ocon, who was very focal about the lack of consistency in the parts for the car. In Monza, that feeling seemed to return, but he bounced back with a great sequence in Madrid and Baku.
“Monza, our car on Esteban’s side of the garage, wasn’t working very well. But, again, he made the best job of that. And then Madrid and then Baku, he performed.
“So, I’m really just looking forward to finishing the season really, really strongly with him. Because we all have seen and know what he’s capable of and that’s what we focused on.”
Komatsu refuses to plant seeds for rumours
Obviously questions arise when one of the drivers leaves seamingly, but Komatsu stayed away from specifics when pressed about why Ocon is leaving Haas.
“I don’t want to go into details, to be honest,” Komatsu said. “Because certain things we discuss with the drivers just remain very private. But, when you look at the overall picture, I think for me it was time to make a change. But, in terms of his ultimate speed, the performance that he can produce when everything lines up, there’s no doubt.
When asked about possible commercial or financial motives for Ocon to leave the team, Komatsu was very clear he wasn’t giving quotes that could be taken out of context and fuel any rumours.
“Again, I don’t want to get dragged into some specifics, “ Komatsu emphasised. “All I’m saying is his speed is there and he’s shown that he can perform at the highest level. So, that’s why I’m focussing on next eight races.
“Because if I say certain things, I’m sure you pick up on that particular bit and take it out of context and you write whatever you want.
“So, I’m not letting that happen because our best interest is for the team to provide the best environment for Esteban for the rest of the season and for Esteban to be absolutely 100% focused on every single race he can perform.
“That’s the best for the team, that’s the best for Esteban.”
Next team will receive a team player in Ocon
Komatsu added that he experienced Ocon as not only fast, but also as a teamplayer for team mate Ollie Bearman. In Azerbaijan, the Frenchman kept the Brit in overtake mode in the closing stages to try and fend off Arvid Lindblad.
“He needs to show to the world how fast he is,” the Japanese team boss said. “And as he’s shown in Baku, he’s a great team player. When we needed him to back off a little bit so that Ollie have the overtake in Baku, because he had huge pressure from Lindblad, and then we asked him, he done it straight away.
“And he asked, is that enough? We said, yeah, that was enough, perfect. So, he got to show to the world his speed, and even though he just announced that he’s leaving the team, he can be a team player, he will be a team player, he is a team player until the end of the season.
“That’s the best advice for Esteban Ocon. So, I’m not going to give you guys a chance to write anything other than that to distract him.”
Komatsu: Ocon’s experience pushed Haas F1 to a higher level
After the departure of Guenther Steiner at the beginning of 2024, Komatsu decided to bring in Ocon for the 2025 season as Nico Hülkenberg decided to join Sauber/Audi. Looking back, he regrets nothing.
“Honestly, his work ethic was very, very good and he brought experience, right,” Komatsu reflects. “Obviously, he was the first driver we signed who was a race winner, so he brought that experience and dimension that we didn’t have as a team. And then the combination of having Esteban with, let’s say now, 10 years of experience in Formula 1, race winner, proven finisher, with an exciting new talent, Ollie Bearman.
“He’s not a rookie anymore this year, but last year he was a rookie. That was a very, very good combination, so I’m very happy that we signed him a year and a half ago. And we’ve had a very good year and a half, and honestly, just our focus now is eight more races to finish on a high.
“I think that he deserves that and the team deserves that, and I’m sure if we are focused on it without any other noise, then we can achieve that.”
