Esteban Ocon sacked, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu: “In the interests of the team”

Not even French journalists had any idea what was in store for their compatriot Esteban Ocon: Following Friday’s free practice session in Mexico, the F1 team owned by US entrepreneur Gene Haas abruptly replaced Grand Prix winner Esteban Ocon with Japanese reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa. Hirakawa marked his Grand Prix debut with a 10th-place finish and a World Championship point.

It was already clear at that stage: the Japanese endurance world champion would not be racing in Brazil, as he is competing for Toyota in the sports car race at Monza. For this reason, Haas is bringing forward what was already planned for 2027: Brazilian Ferrari protégé Rafael Câmara will be in the car.

In Mexico, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu had not commented on what had happened with Ocon. The Japanese manager simply said: “You must understand that I cannot speak about this at the moment.”

Now, in Brazil, Komatsu has commented on the split: “Ultimately, my work as Haas team principal must always be guided by the question: what must I do that is in the best interests of the team?”

“Against this backdrop, it was crystal clear to me how I had to proceed. I had to make a decision based on professionalism. It wasn’t easy, but I’m at peace with myself.”

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“I still cannot go into details. And a situation in Mexico is certainly nothing to be happy about. But it is my responsibility to do what is right for the team.”

“We’ve worked with Esteban for almost two years. I’ve learnt a great deal. When I told my team on Saturday morning that Esteban wouldn’t be driving any more, they were surprised. But I couldn’t go into details with them either.”

“I always try to be as transparent as possible. But in this case, unfortunately, I can’t.”

The reason for this is legal: whatever happened between Ocon and the team on Friday evening in Mexico (there is talk of a heated argument) apparently forced Komatsu to pull the plug. The extent to which this is consistent with the parties’ contractual obligations is the subject of legal investigations, and Komatsu will say no more until the picture becomes clearer.

The team will argue that Ocon breached his contract through his behaviour. Ocon will argue that he was unfairly sidelined. Whether the whole matter will result in legal proceedings is currently uncertain.