Disciplinary action proves fatal for feuding Esteban Ocon at Haas

Esteban Ocon was already set to leave Haas after this season, with the team naming Rafael Camara as his replacement. The split now appears to have become final several weeks earlier than expected.

Following Friday’s practice sessions, long-simmering frustrations over Ocon’s performance and, in turn, his dissatisfaction with the way Haas was sending him packing are understood to have boiled over.

The exact details of what happened at Haas are likely to become clearer over the coming days. In any case, it was clear in the paddock on Friday that Ocon was extremely unhappy with how FP2 had gone.

During the session, he openly argued over team radio with his race engineer, Laure Muller, with whom the Frenchman had a poor relationship. Still wearing his helmet, Ocon entered his team’s hospitality area in Mexico, where a clash is understood to have taken place.

It is telling, in any case, that Haas has made no further announcement beyond the news that Ocon is being replaced by Ryo Hirakawa. The team has, however, told outlets including GPblog that Ocon is not ill - another indication that the emerging reports of internal unrest should be taken seriously.

Haas mechanics are now removing Ocon’s name and portrait from the garage in Mexico City. The Frenchman’s former car is also being adapted to suit Ryo Hirakawa’s preferences. Although the mechanics are also keeping notably quiet, it very much appears that Ocon’s departure became final this morning.

This is not the first time Ocon has been sidelined before the end of a season. In 2024, Alpine released the Frenchman from his duties ahead of the season-ending race. The reason was that Ocon wanted to take part in the post-season F1 test with his then-new team, Haas. Alpine were not willing to allow this and decided to end their partnership.