Haas F1 Secures Ocon in Landmark Deal

Esteban Ocon to join Haas F1 with a long-term agreement.

This morning, the Haas F1 Team finally confirmed the signing of a multi-year contract with Esteban Ocon starting from 2025.

The 27-year-old Frenchman will become the first Grand Prix winner to drive for the American team since its Formula 1 inception in 2016.

Ocon, who also made his Formula 1 debut in 2016, enjoyed the top step of the podium by winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine F1 Team, the team he will leave in 2024 to join Haas F1 Team next season.

With 146 Formula 1 career starts, Ocon has raced for Manor Racing, Force India, Renault, and Alpine, amassing 425 points with three podiums to his name, including his triumph at the Hungarian Grand Prix. 2022 marked Ocon’s best result in the drivers’ championship, finishing eighth overall at the end of the season. Ocon has currently finished in the top 10 three times in 2024, with tenth places in Miami, Canada, and Spain, respectively.

Ocon first entered Formula 1 during a test in 2014 with the Lotus F1 team, now Alpine F1 Team, driving the E20 on the Valencia circuit in Spain – designed that day by none other than Ayao Komatsu – today the team director of Haas F1 Team.

“I am delighted that we have secured the services of Esteban Ocon for Haas F1 Team,” declared Komatsu.

“I have obviously known his talents for a long time and our personal history goes back to Esteban’s first test in a Formula 1 car – I was his race engineer that day with Lotus. He demonstrated his abilities then following strong performances in junior categories – he had just won the 2014 European Formula 3 championship.”

“Esteban has established himself as a Formula 1 talent and, of course, a Grand Prix winner. The experience he brings, not only through his own skills but also through his work for a constructor’s team, will benefit our growth as an organization. It was crucial that we have an experienced driver alongside Oliver Bearman next year, but at only 27 years old, Esteban is still young and has much to prove as well. I believe we have a dynamic and hungry driver duo, and I look forward to welcoming Esteban to Haas F1 Team in 2025,” commented Gene Haas, owner of the Haas F1 Team.

“It was important to me that we have a driver with a recognized pedigree in Formula 1, and as a Grand Prix winner, Esteban undoubtedly fits this profile. Esteban has proven himself in the teams he has raced for as someone who is consistently competitive and scores points – it’s this consistency we want to capitalize on as we look to enhance our track performance. We have a mix of youth and experience in our future driver lineup, and I am eager to see the results,” Haas added.

“I am thrilled to begin this new chapter of my Formula 1 career and join the Haas F1 Team at the start of the 2025 season,” concluded Ocon.

“I am joining a very ambitious racing team, whose spirit, work ethic, and undeniable upward trajectory have truly impressed me. I want to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support, as well as for our honest and fruitful discussions over the past few months. On a more personal note, I am very excited to work again with Ayao, as he was part of my beginnings when I first took the wheel of a Formula 1 car during my years at Lotus Junior over a decade ago. Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear goals for the future, and I am very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury, and Maranello, and being part of this great project.”