'No ill feelings' between Haas and Esteban Ocon after F1 split

Ayao Komatsu praises Esteban Ocon's professionalism and insists both sides remain committed to finishing the season strong

Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, it was confirmed that Esteban Ocon and Haas would part ways come the end of the 2027 Formula 1 season.

Ocon is in his second year with Haas and may have only seven more Grands Prix left in his Formula 1 career if he cannot secure a seat for the 2027 season.

However, the Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu has insisted that there are ‘no ill feelings’ between the team and the French driver.

“We're both professionals, and then what's good for the team is what's good for Esteban,” Komatsu told Sky Sports after Free Practice 1 in Singapore.

“Esteban needs to show everyone in the world how quick he is every time he goes out there, how much of a team player he is. I think you saw it in one of the Grands Prix, actually in Baku, when we needed to get Esteban to back off a little bit so that Ollie could get the overtake mode on Esteban.

“Again, we told him on the radio, then down the straight away, he goes to show that he's still a team player; he's still completely professional in pushing through to the end.

“That's what we want, that's what we need, and we are completely transparent. So, there's no ill feeling in that sense; we're trying to do our best on both sides.”

Komatsu also discussed why the team needed to make a change to its driver lineup for the 2027 Formula 1 season.

He believes that Haas needs a driver who has ‘more consistency’ as Ocon needs a ‘perfect’ car to have success with the team, something Komatsu admitted that Haas cannot always give him.

Komatsu said, “When we choose a driver, it's about our overall performance, overall package, and then everything comes into it.

“Of course, you know, natural talent, that's something we cannot teach, you know. Either as a driver, you are quick or not quick.

“You know, Esteban is very, very quick on his day. When the car is perfect, when he's happy with the car, he's very, very quick. But then, what we're looking for going forward is that we just want that speed plus more consistency and also the feedback as well.

“I mean, Esteban is very good. I don't want to take anything away from him, what he's done. He contributed a lot to the team, and he's the, you know, first race winner we signed. And then, you know, as a team, we're still on the journey. So we still have a lot of imperfections.

“Maybe in a better environment, a perfect environment, Esteban can completely flourish his talent, but with the team setup as we are, with some inconsistency issues, etc., it's really, you know, not bringing out Esteban's strength sometimes. So, we needed to make some changes.”

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