Esteban Ocon will partner Oliver Bearman at Haas next year and beyond as the Frenchman has signed a multi-year contract, Pit Debrief has learned.
As this website revealed earlier in the year, Audi held an interest in his services. However, the number one priority continues to be Carlos Sainz for the German manufacturer as the 3-time race winner continues to weigh up his many options for 2025.
It was confirmed ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix last month that Ocon would be leaving Alpine following five seasons with the team.
With Nico Hülkenberg departing to head to Sauber/Audi, Oliver Bearman was the obvious choice to take his spot.
However, Haas has decided to go with a completely new line-up as Esteban Ocon will be replacing Kevin Magnussen. The 1-time Grand Prix winner has agreed to a multi-year deal with the American-owned team — it’s a huge vote of confidence in Ayao Komatsu and his leadership. The Japanese engineer was promoted to the team principal position during the winter break, replacing Guenther Steiner.
The 27-year-old consistently stated he was feeling pretty confident in media sessions over the triple-header regarding his future, and it has now been justified.
With Ocon agreeing a multi-year deal, he will team up with Bearman until the end of 2026, at least. Sources have revealed to Pit Debrief that the multi-year deal signed by the British youngster lasts two years.
Ocon took a memorable first F1 win at a truly wild Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, brilliantly holding off Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin throughout the race following the complete chaos at the start. He’s also finished on the podium at Sakhir in 2020 and Monaco last year.
Although Ocon has had controversial incidents with teammates Sergio Pérez, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly during his time in F1 so far, the Frenchman has been consistently quick and impressive.
After a tough 2020 against Daniel Ricciardo (62-119), who was at the peak of his powers, he has more than held his own against Alonso and Gasly during the rest of his time at Enstone.
Haas are having a good season. They scored 20 points across Austria and Great Britain, pulling out an 18-point lead over Ocon’s current team Alpine. They are now just 4 adrift of RB in the battle for P6 in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the double-header to come at Budapest and Spa.
An official announcement is expected to come at the Belgian Grand Prix next week.
