“We expected more” from Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon, a seasoned competitor with a decade of Formula 1 experience, including a memorable victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix and two other podium finishes, arrived at Haas in 2025 after a lengthy tenure with Alpine. His move was anticipated to provide stability and a strong benchmark for the team, especially given the concurrent arrival of the highly-touted Ferrari Academy product, Oliver Bearman, making his full F1 debut. However, the season unfolded in a manner that defied these expectations.

Over the course of the 2025 campaign, Ocon accumulated 38 points, a tally that placed him behind his rookie teammate Bearman, who secured 41 points. This points disparity was mirrored in their qualifying performances, where Bearman notably outqualified Ocon 17-11, excluding instances impacted by technical issues. These statistics were not isolated incidents but rather indicative of a broader trend throughout the season, as Bearman’s form progressively ramped up while Ocon’s results remained inconsistent.

Komatsu did not mince words when assessing Ocon’s performance. "If you purely look at the sporting result, without going to details, for sure nobody’s satisfied with Esteban’s sporting result last year, right?" Komatsu stated. He further emphasized the weight of Ocon’s experience, contrasting it with Bearman’s rookie status. "He’s a team-mate against a rookie. Yes, amazing rookie, but nonetheless, he’s got 10 years of F1 under his belt. He’s a race winner, he’s a podium finisher. So we expected more from him."

Throughout the season, Ocon frequently expressed growing dissatisfaction with the behaviour of his VF-25 chassis, particularly highlighting issues under braking. This aspect of the car’s performance became a recurring point of contention for the French driver. However, Komatsu suggested that the problem might also lie with Ocon’s driving style, noting that Bearman did not report similar difficulties with the car’s braking characteristics. This divergence in driver feedback complicated the team’s efforts to address the perceived shortcomings of the car.

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Komatsu acknowledged that the responsibility for the performance gap was not solely Ocon’s. "And obviously, it’s not totally his fault, it’s 50-50, right? Sometimes it’s the team, we couldn’t give him the car that he was comfortable [with], especially in qualifying," he explained. The team principal elaborated that certain circuits exacerbated these issues more than others. He cited the Baku Grand Prix as a prime example, where Ocon’s discomfort with the car’s braking performance led to a significant deficit in qualifying pace. While acknowledging Baku was one of Bearman’s strongest circuits, Komatsu admitted, "we didn’t expect Esteban’s worst day to be so far off."

The complexity of the situation, according to Komatsu, meant there was no single "silver bullet" solution. "There’s not one reason, there’s not just a driver, there’s not just a team, and then each instance is different. So there’s no common underlying factor, there’s no [silver] bullet; it’s just a process, how we work together to get the bottom of it so much quicker and then put things in place for next race," Komatsu detailed. He concluded that the team, collectively, failed to address these issues with sufficient speed. "That’s the bit I feel we – all of us together, team and driver – didn’t do it very well last year, because I really felt like we should have got on top of that quicker."

A poignant example of Ocon’s struggles and underlying potential came at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. On Friday practice, Ocon’s frustration was palpable, telling Canal+ that he "felt like a rookie who’s never driven an F1 car." He described significant instability, stating, "I feel like I can’t drive anymore, I can’t put a lap together anymore. It’s been unmanageable for many races." Ocon attributed these difficulties to the car not suiting his driving style, concluding, "We’re just slow. We’re very, very far from where we should be."

Despite these profound struggles in practice, Ocon demonstrated remarkable resilience and skill. He narrowly outqualified Bearman to advance to Q3 and ultimately secured a commendable seventh-place finish in the race, having started from eighth on the grid. This stark contrast between his Friday performance and his weekend result highlighted the very talent Komatsu believes Haas needs to harness.

Komatsu drew attention to this specific event: "Look at Abu Dhabi on Friday, he was completely off the pace, like four tenths off Ollie; Saturday, bang, he was on the pace." He emphasized that Ocon’s ability to rebound from a very poor Friday to deliver strong performances on Saturday and Sunday underscored his clear potential. "Again, it’s not just one big [silver] bullet, it’s a few – I wouldn’t say little things, but I could even say little things, few things that really trigger, let’s say, a snowball effect," Komatsu elaborated. "And then we’ve really got to get on top of those things quicker, because Esteban’s potential is clear."

The Haas F1 Team, historically a midfield contender often reliant on strategic development and the Ferrari power unit, has consistently sought to maximize its performance through effective driver pairings. Komatsu’s comments underline the team’s ambition and the critical need for both drivers to perform at their peak. "If you look at Abu Dhabi, what he can do on Saturday, Sunday, coming off the back of a very poor Friday, that’s the talent he has, that’s the capability he has. And then we’ve got to harness that, we’ve got to make sure we use that, because we really need two drivers this year. I mean, we needed both of them last year, but we need more this year."

Oliver Bearman’s rapid adaptation to Formula 1, marked by his immediate competitiveness and ability to outscore a Grand Prix winner in his rookie season, represents a significant development for Haas. Bearman, a highly-rated junior driver, had showcased immense promise in his feeder series career, and his seamless transition to the pinnacle of motorsport has provided a new dynamic within the team. His consistent pace and apparent comfort with the VF-25, especially under braking where Ocon struggled, suggests a versatility that Haas intends to capitalize on.

Looking ahead to the upcoming 2026 season, the pressure on Ocon to deliver more consistently will be immense. The team’s strategy will undoubtedly focus on better understanding and addressing the nuances of Ocon’s driving style in relation to car development. Komatsu’s candid assessment serves as a clear mandate for improved collaboration between driver and team to unlock Ocon’s full potential and ensure Haas can field two drivers operating at the highest level to challenge for crucial championship points. The challenge for Haas and Ocon will be to translate the glimpses of brilliance, like Abu Dhabi, into a sustained, high-performance campaign.

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Jonas Leo: Jonas Leo is a passionate motorsport journalist and lifelong Formula 1 enthusiast. With a sharp eye for race strategy and driver performance, he brings readers closer to the world of Grand Prix racing through in-depth analysis, breaking news, and exclusive paddock insights. Jonas has covered everything from preseason testing to dramatic title deciders, capturing the emotion and precision that define modern F1. When he’s not tracking lap times or pit stop tactics, he enjoys exploring classic racing archives and writing about the evolution of F1 technology.

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