Since his debut in Formula 1, Esteban Ocon has earned a reputation for being a poor team player. When he joined Alpine in 2023 and shared a garage with rival Pierre Gasly, he often sought confrontation. This raised questions about Haas’s decision to contract him for the 2025 season. However, team boss Ayao Komatsu assures that Ocon has since shed this image.
When Haas announced last year that they had signed Ocon, it led to questions both in the media and internally. The Frenchman was said to be difficult to manage, leading critics to doubt whether he could replace loyal Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. A year later, Komatsu asserts that Ocon has proven his worth to the team and that the criticism was unjustified. For instance, the 28-year-old driver was an exemplary teammate to debutant Oliver Bearman.
When asked by Autosport.com whether Ocon is now a good team player, Komatsu responded decisively: “Yes, absolutely. Didn’t you see that action in Spa?” Ocon drove with less downforce there, which made it difficult for him to keep up in the rain. Eventually, he chose to let his teammate pass. “I didn’t even have to give a team order,” Komatsu said. “Esteban let Ollie pass himself. Honestly, they’ve both been great team players.”
Foundation of Trust and Respect
“When the media asked about this last year, I expressed my full confidence in this duo,” Komatsu continued. “I didn’t do that lightly. I truly believed that if we built a foundation of trust and respect between the drivers and the team, it wouldn’t escalate. Of course, we don’t always make the right choices, and a team order can turn out to be a mistake in hindsight. But as long as that foundation of trust, transparency, and respect is there, it works.”
Even when Lando Norris and Bearman collided during the British GP, it didn’t lead to controversy. “Silverstone was a very specific situation, with only one dry line, and that caused problems,” Komatsu explained. “But neither of them intentionally caused a collision. I had a good conversation with the drivers afterwards, but even before that, they always followed our team orders. No questions, they just do it immediately. Brilliant.”
