“Obviously it’s not totally his fault. It’s 50/50 – sometimes it’s that as a team we couldn’t give him the car that he was comfortable, especially in Qualifying. And sometimes that was exaggerated much more than others.
“Look at Baku – he really wasn’t happy with the braking performance, and he was miles off in the Qualifying pace.
“Yes, Baku happened to be one of Ollie’s strongest circuits, but we didn’t expect Esteban to be so far off.
“But again, there’s not one reason. I’s not just the driver, it’s not just the team, and each instance is different. There’s no common underlining factor, but it’s just the process, how we work together to get to the bottom of it.”
A crucial year for Ocon
Like most drivers, Esteban Ocon enters this year on an expiring deal. This presents a combination of opportunity and uncertainty.
If Ocon can re-establish himself as the reference at Haas, it will boost his market value. At a time when multiple seats could become available, this scenario could be positive for the Frenchman.
On the opposite side of the coin, the #31 driver cannot afford to have a poor season. If Bearman outperforms him once more, it will likely further devalue Ocon’s weight in the market.
Not only will this impact his standing at Haas, but also at other teams as they make driver decisions.
In the early months of 2024, LWOS covered Haas and Audi’s interest in Yuki Tsunoda. Indeed, the US team were considering signing Tsunoda for 2025 – before Red Bull activated their option on his contract, keeping him at VCARB and preventing a move.
Still, it should be noted that Ocon was not necessarily the clear first choice for Haas prior to last season. Ayao Komatsu has made no secret that he also wanted to keep Hulkenberg, and only looked at alternatives when the 38-year-old committed to Audi.
Therefore, with Tsunoda set to be one of many drivers available this year, it is essential that Ocon performs at a high level.
Main photo: Guido De Bortoli/LAT Images (Haas F1 Team Media Gallery)
