Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu has articulated his reasoning for snapping up the skilled yet contentious Esteban Ocon for the 2025 season.
This decision results in the replacement of the team's long-time Danish driver Kevin Magnussen and establishes a partnership between current Alpine racer Ocon, aged 27, and the youthful newcomer Oliver Bearman for the upcoming years.
"I think Esteban has proven what he can do," Komatsu remarked at Spa-Francorchamps last weekend. "He's scored a lot of points and won a race. He's achieved a lot already."
"Again, his battle with Fernando Alonso was pretty impressive. And he's only 27 - he's still got a lot to offer. I think he's got an incredible determination and work ethic."
Ocon, however, has often been at the center of intense disputes during races with his own teammates and experienced a notable falling out with Alpine's management this year.
His reputation within the F1 community is mixed, often perceived as lacking in team spirit.
"It had to be taken into account," Komatsu conceded. "So I can't say I didn't notice."
When questioned about Ocon's altercation with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco this year, which even fueled rumors of his potential dismissal or an internal racing sanction, Komatsu had to admit: "It was a serious incident."
"So I talked to him. I still made the decision."
Komatsu believes that managing the aspirations of competitive sportspeople is a critical function of team leadership. "A lot of it is about transparency, trust, and clear boundaries," he stated, emphasizing the importance of mutual trust in preventing issues.
"I have been in Formula 1 for a long time. My experience as a race engineer, director of engineering, and now team principal is that you need transparency, no personal bias, clear goals, instructions on how to behave during race weekends."
"If it's discussed in advance with completely transparent communication, there will be trust. I have never had any problems that got out of hand when there is trust. So personally I am not worried," he affirmed.
"If I was worried, I would not have chosen this pairing. Because it is my responsibility to make sure that the two drivers are working in the best interests of our team. I have no doubt that Esteban and Ollie will do that."
