In 2025, Esteban Ocon will transfer to Haas, but he will get a ‘taste’ of the VF-24 this year. Team boss Ayao Komatsu confirms that Alpine has allowed the French driver to test for Haas after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The American racing team plans to use an evolution of the current car next year, so it’s beneficial for Ocon to get some experience.
“It will be the first time that Esteban (Ocon) drives our car,” Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu confirmed to AutoRacing1.com. “It’s important that he gets a chance to test with our current car, as the regulations will largely remain the same in 2025. Therefore, next year’s car will also be an evolution of our current one. It’s good that he can get a taste of the VF-24 as early as possible. Then he will immediately know its strengths and weaknesses.”
The post-season test takes place two days after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit. The teams get one day to learn from the 2024 cars for the last time. Esteban Ocon should use these sessions to prepare for his transfer. “If he then provides feedback, we can continue to work on it during development,” Komatsu explained.
New Line-up
In 2025, Haas will have an entirely new line-up, consisting of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman. The team bids farewell to veterans Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg. The latter is making the switch to Sauber and may even be in action for his new employer in Abu Dhabi. “If you ask me, Nico (Hülkenberg) is more than welcome to drive for Sauber during the test in Abu Dhabi,” said Komatsu. “I don’t see why we should prevent that.”
It is likely that Oliver Bearman will also get more track time during the post-season test. He will make his Formula 1 debut next year, but he is officially no longer a rookie. Since he already stepped in three times during a race weekend this year – twice for Kevin Magnussen and once for Carlos Sainz – he has lost his newcomer status. The question is whether he will therefore be in the running for the rookie of the year award next year. Alongside debutants like Jack Doohan, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and Gabriel Bortoleto, this is a highly coveted distinction.
