Esteban Ocon has secured his future in Formula 1 on a multi-year deal, set to drive for Haas from 2025.
The 27-year-old Frenchman and Alpine have agreed to part ways at the end of the 2024 season after the Frenchman spent five seasons with the Enstone squad.
Ocon will be team-mates with Britain's Oliver Bearman at Haas. The 19-year-old announced on the eve of the British Grand Prix that he has signed a multi-year contract with the team, and will be reunited with team principal Ayao Komatsu, who was his engineer during his first F1 test with Lotus in 2014.
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Alpine boss Bruno Famin has said his 'cycle' with Ocon is over, leading to the French driver leaving the team at the end of the season.
“I am excited to begin a new chapter in my Formula 1 career by joining the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team starting in the 2025 season,” said Ocon.
“I joined a very ambitious racing team, and their spirit, work ethic and undeniable upward trajectory impressed me greatly.
“On a more personal note, I am very happy to be working with Ayao again. He was with me when I first got into Formula 1 ten years ago as a Lotus Junior.
“The MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear goals for the future, and I’m excited to be working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello and being a part of this great project.”
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On the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, David Croft and Simon Lazenby explain why Ocon left Alpine.
Ocon’s arrival means Haas will have a completely new driver line-up for 2025. Nico Hulkenberg has already signed with Audi-backed Sauber, but Kevin Magnussen is not currently driving and his F1 future looks very uncertain.
Magnussen drove for Haas for seven seasons over two spells.
Haas is looking set to make a big improvement in its performances for the 2024 season, currently sitting seventh in the Constructors’ Championship with 27 points. The American team also previously announced it was extending its long-standing Ferrari engine partnership until 2028.
“We are delighted to have secured the services of Esteban Ocon for the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” said Komatsu. “I have obviously been aware of his talent for a long time, and our personal history goes back to when Esteban first raced in a Formula 1 car.
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British teenager Oliver Bearman has signed a multi-year contract with Haas that will see him join the Formula 1 grid permanently in 2025.
“He has shown his talent after a strong performance in the junior category. He won the European Formula 3 Championship in 2014. Esteban has become an established talent in Formula 1 and is, of course, a Grand Prix winner.
“It was important to have an experienced driver next year alongside Oliver Bearman, but Esteban is only 27 years old. He is still young and has a lot to prove. We believe we have a hungry and dynamic driver pair and we look forward to welcoming Esteban to the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in 2025.”
Will Will O'Conn Be a 'Difficult Teammate' for Bearman?
Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater speaks about Esteban Ocon's move to Haas:
“A key aspect from a British perspective is that Ocon will be partnered by British teenager Oliver Bearman, who will make his debut season for Haas next year.
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Alpine driver Esteban Ocon looks back on all the times he's clashed with his teammate
“Ocon has a reputation as a difficult team-mate to get along with. One of the reasons he left Alpine was probably because he and Pierre Gasly did not get along well and there have been several conflicts, most recently at the Monaco Grand Prix. But he also had a conflict with Fernando Alonso before that.
“It's probably a bit of an exaggeration. Ocon didn't have an easy time getting into Formula 1. His family came from modest means and he had to fight his way to the top of motorsport, and then endure a season outside the sport when Lance Stroll came to Racing Point to replace him.
“What's important for Haas is that for the first time they have a winner on their books. Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and, as he said, they are a team on an upward trajectory.”
The action continues this weekend with the Belgian Grand Prix, the final race before F1’s summer break. You can watch every session live from Spa-Francorchamps on Sky Sports F1.
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