Yahoo Autos Ocon confirmed at Haas for 2025 on multi-year deal
Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas has been confirmed, with the Frenchman signing a multi-year deal to race for the team from 2025 onwards.
Haas will have an all-new lineup in 2025, having already announced Oliver Bearman as one of its race drivers next season following news of Nico Hulkenberg’s switch to Stake, and Kevin Magnussen also leaving the team. Ocon’s departure from Alpine was confirmed in June and he will become the first grand prix winner to race for Haas since its debut in Formula 1, with the 27-year-old linking up again with Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu.
“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,” Ocon said. “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.”
Komatsu also references the first run for Ocon in an F1 car, and says the fact he has built up so much experience at such a young age — approaching 150 grand prix starts — is one of the reasons he wanted to sign the Frenchman.
“I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” Komatsu said. “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 organization. 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.”
Team owner Gene Haas was pushing for an experienced driver who could combine performance with a history of success to partner Bearman, who will be entering his rookie season next year.
“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,” Haas said. “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 capitalize on as we look for increased performance gains on-track.
“We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver lineup and I’m excited to see the results.”
