Komatsu takes full responsibility for dropping Ocon: 'Gene let me decide'

On Saturday, the Japanese boss said very little, only confirming that Ocon was not ill, as GPblog reported. In the Canal+ interview, he went further and fully accepted a choice he said he had carefully considered.

Komatsu presented the move as the result of a wider assessment rather than a snap judgement. "I believe the decision to replace him was the right one for the team, considering all the factors."

He also addressed who made the final call. Gene Haas, who was in Mexico this weekend, was consulted, but it was Ayao Komatsu who made the final decision. "I am very grateful to Gene for all the support he has given me and continues to give me," Komatsu said. "Then, Gene let me decide. I therefore take full responsibility for it."

This fits what GPblog first reported in that Ocon's removal was a disciplinary measure. Nothing in Komatsu's latest comments contradicts that, and the team boss is now openly standing behind the decision.

Komatsu's account of what happened behind the scenes is still very different from some of the reporting. He has denied reports of a dispute with Ocon, a position that contrasts with the account published by L'Équipe. The French newspaper had reported an altercation between the two men. The team has not confirmed the reported confrontation.

Ocon has acknowledged a difference of opinion but rejected any suggestion of physical violence. Even so, Komatsu's statement that the decision was taken "considering all the factors" shows this was more than a reaction to one heated moment.

The most important detail for the coming days may be how narrow Komatsu kept the decision. The team's statement only mentions this weekend, and Komatsu is careful not to anticipate the Brazilian Grand Prix, scheduled.

Formally, then, Ocon has not been removed beyond Mexico. Haas still has to decide who drives the second car at Interlagos in a matter of days.
There are other options available to Haas. In the meantime, Komatsu has publicly praised how quickly stand-in Ryo Hirakawa adapted, and has said nothing further about Ocon.