It’s official, Esteban Ocon has signed a multi-year deal with Haas F1 Team, as Pit Debrief revealed earlier this month.
2025 will mark a fourth different team for the 28-year-old in his career. He made his debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix with Manor, immediately impressing with his speed against now Formula E World Champion Pascal Wehrlein.
Ocon went on to win his first Grand Prix in 2021, claiming a superb victory in Hungary on a day full of drama from start to finish.
It’s a reunion for Ocon and Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu. In his first ever run in a Formula One car in 2014, the Japanese engineer worked as the Frenchman’s race engineer that day.
Esteban Ocon
“I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter in my Formula 1 career and join MoneyGram Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 season.
“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 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 ten years ago.
“MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear targets for the future, and I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello, and being part of this great project.”
Gene Haas
“It was important to me that we have a driver with a known pedigree in Formula 1, and as a Grand Prix winner, Esteban undoubtedly fits that brief.
“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.
“We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver line-up and I’m excited to see the results.”
Ayao Komatsu
“I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. I’ve obviously been aware of his talents for a long time and our personal history dates back to Esteban’s maiden run in a Formula 1 car – I was his race engineer that day with Lotus.
“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 MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for 2025.”
