As the 2024 driver market began to intensify, Esteban Ocon was among the first to make a move. The Frenchman signed a multi-year deal with Ayao Komatsu’s Haas, an agreement that came as his relationship with Alpine deteriorated.
Alongside rookie Oliver Bearman, the expectation was that Ocon would lead Haas in 2025. It was therefore a surprise when Bearman outscored his more experienced teammate – whilst also securing a winning head-to-head in qualifying and race.
With the 2026 season approaching, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has not sugar-coated the Frenchman’s performance last year.
Komatsu demands more from Ocon
Overall, Haas were competitive in 2025. They finished the year in 8th place, a reasonable constructors result amidst a very strong midfield.
Haas were unlucky not to finish higher, with fine margins deciding the midfield scrap. One of their biggest limiting factors was the frequent discrepancies between their drivers.
At various points in the season, Bearman and Ocon would have radically different qualifying results. Whilst one driver would be in Q3, the other would often find themselves eliminated in Q1.
This prevented Haas from maximising the VF-25’s potential, even if upgrades meant their consistency improved later in the season.
More specifically, it was Oliver Bearman that became more dependable as 2025 progressed. Both on Saturdays and Sundays, the British driver was regularly in the top 10.
Meanwhile, Ocon was finding things more tricky. After Friday Practice in Abu Dhabi, Ocon even remarked “I don’t seem to be knowing how to drive at all.”
Although he recovered impressively to finish the race in 7th, this quote speaks to Ocon’s struggles with his machinery. Looking ahead to 2026, Haas are working to ensure he feels more comfortable.
However, Ayao Komatsu also emphasises that he expects more from his veteran driver:
“If you look purely at a sporting result, without going into details, for sure nobody is satisfied with Esteban’s sporting result last year.
“He’s a teammate against a rookie. Yes, an amazing rookie. But nonetheless, he’s got 10 years of F1 under his belt – he’s a race winner, he’s a podium finisher. So we expected more from him. (cont. on next page)
