Ocon: Move to Haas a ‘no brainer’ but a great challenge

Esteban Ocon has revealed that the seeds of his move to Haas for 2025 were sown as early as mid-2023, when it became clear that Alpine’s ambitions did not fully align with his own.

Despite securing a memorable victory in Hungary in 2021, Ocon has seen Alpine’s performance decline in recent seasons.

With the team struggling to consistently challenge for podiums, the allure of pastures new began to grow.

Haas emerged as a potential destination, and the team’s upward trajectory in 2024, coupled with the vision outlined by team principal Ayao Komatsu, who took the reins of the US outfit at the start of the year, proved to be decisive factors.

Ocon is well-acquainted with the Japanese engineer who took over the reins of the US outfit at the start of this year from former team boss Guenther Steiner, having worked with him when he first tested in F1 in 2014 with Lotus, where Komatsu was employed at the time.

“There’s been obviously a lot of conversation going around the paddock. That is quite clear,” Ocon acknowledged, quoted by Motorsport Week.

“This conversation started quite a long time ago. Already mid-season of 23. That’s really when things started.”

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Ocon was impressed by Komatsu’s experience and ambitious plans for Haas.

“Ayao really convinced me with his words. He’s a person that has a lot of experience in Formula 1,” the Frenchman said.

“I’d been working on my first steps into Formula 1 as well. When I was testing for the first time 10 years ago. I even know him from a lot longer than that.

“When we sat down for the first time, he explained to me about his plans going forward, which were very clear.

“They have a clear target, which is still in humble terms. Not showing off, which is what I like as well.

“But they have very clear plans of improving where they are from. They are already starting that, as you can see.

“This year, they’ve been clearly improving their performance, the car itself. The plans are obviously quite big and quite impressive looking forward.

“It was a decision that I took that I’m very happy with and I’m very excited. It’s a great challenge, a new adventure for me after five years with this team.

“I look forward to finishing this season on a high as best as I can for the team and start the collaboration next year.”

Haas’ improved performance this season, climbing from tenth to seventh in the constructors’ championship, further solidified Ocon’s belief in the team’s direction.

“It does confirm what Ayao is putting in place, basically,” he added. “Of course, when you say something, but then you have the facts on track, it’s just very clear and very straightforward.

“To me, it was a no-brainer, as I said, to take that decision. I’m very happy with my choice and very happy with how we are going to move forward.”

Following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to join Ferrari in 2025, speculation linked Ocon to a potential return to Mercedes. But the Frenchman realized early on that Haas represented his best available option for the future.

“I’m very happy with my choice,” he said. “I’m not going to speak about names or which teams.

“There were many discussions with many different teams since 2023. But now it’s official and I can say one name and that will remain.

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