Esteban Ocon will race for Haas on a multi-year deal starting in the 2025 Formula 1 season, the American team announced on Thursday.
Ocon, the soon-to-be former Alpine driver and winner of the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, will partner Ferrari Academy driver and regular Haas rookie practice driver Oliver Bearman in an all-new line-up that replaces the Sauber-bound Nico Hulkenberg and the exiting Kevin Magnussen.
The move links Ocon back up with Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, who worked as the Frenchman’s race engineer when he completed his first F1 test for what was then the Lotus squad after he had won the 2014 European Formula 3 championship back (he shared the day’s running in Abu Dhabi with GP3 champion Alex Lynn, with car problems interrupting Ocon’s laps).
“I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for Haas F1 Team,” Komatsu said in a Haas team statement. “I’ve obviously been aware of his talents for a long time.
“He displayed his talents back then coming off the back of strong performances in the junior categories – he’d just won the 2014 European Formula 3 Championship.
“Esteban’s gone on to become an established talent in Formula 1 and of course a grand prix winner.
“The experience he brings, not just from his own talent base but also from working for a manufacturer team, will be advantageous to us in our growth as an organisation.
“It was vital we had a driver with experience in beside Oliver Bearman next year, but Esteban’s only 27 – he’s still young with a lot to prove as well.
“I think we have a hungry, dynamic driver pairing and I look forward to welcoming Esteban into Haas F1 Team for 2025.”
Ocon had long been linked with a move to Haas in the febrile 2025 F1 driver market, even before his Alpine exit was announced in the aftermath of his costly collision with current team-mate Pierre Gasly at this year’s Monaco race.
Haas has announced the deal as a “multi-year contract” for Ocon, who has so far made 146 F1 starts.
“I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter in my Formula 1 career and join Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 season,” Ocon said.
“I’ll be joining a very ambitious racing team, whose spirit, work ethic, and undeniable upward trajectory has really impressed me.
“I’d like to thank Gene Haas [team owner] and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support, and for our honest and fruitful discussions these last few months.
“On a more personal note, I’m very happy to be working with Ayao again, as he’s been a part of my debut when I first stepped into a Formula 1 car during my Lotus Junior days more than 10 years ago.
“Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear targets for the future, and I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone in [the team’s various facilities in] Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello, and being part of this great project.”
In the Haas statement released ahead of this weekend’s Belgian GP, Gene Haas emphasised the importance of his squad hiring a driver with “a known pedigree in Formula 1” to partner Bearman for next year.
Ocon, who has also raced for Manor and Force India in an F1 career that goes back to 2016 and the year after he had followed his F3 title with a rookie GP3 crown, “undoubtedly fits that brief”, said Haas.
“Esteban’s proved himself in the teams he’s raced for as someone who’s continually in the mix and scoring points – it’s that continuity we’re keen to capitalise on as we look for increased performance gains on-track,” Haas added.
“We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver line-up and I’m excited to see the results.”
