Haas ends cooperation with driver Esteban Ocon early — BBC Sport

Formula 1 team Haas has ended French driver Esteban Ocon’s appearances early following a conflict during the race weekend in Mexico City, Mexico. The driver was due to leave the team at the end of the season, but will now no longer race for Haas, BBC Sport reports.

Dispute after practice

The exact circumstances of the conflict between Ocon and Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu have not been disclosed. It is known that during Friday practice, the driver objected over team radio to a change in the run plan. His race engineer, Laura Mueller, said the team would switch from soft to medium tyres to simulate a race stint.

According to BBC Sport, the dispute may have continued after the session with Komatsu involved. On Saturday, Ocon was sidelined for the remainder of the race weekend in Mexico City, and on Tuesday Haas confirmed that he would no longer drive for the team.

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Future prospects

The 30-year-old Ocon was already set to leave Haas at the end of the year. BBC Sport notes that he had little chance of securing a full-time Formula 1 seat next season. The Frenchman may now spend a year away from racing while trying to find work as a reserve driver and return to the championship.

This is not the first break in his career. In 2019, Ocon lost his seat at Force India, after which Mercedes brought him in as a reserve driver. In 2020, he returned to Formula 1 with Renault, which was renamed Alpine the following year.

Ocon claimed his only Formula 1 Grand Prix victory with Alpine at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. He spent two seasons at Haas; BBC Sport writes that the Frenchman was, on average, slower than his teammate Oliver Bearman.