Esteban Ocon dropped by Haas for rest of F1 season after row with team boss

Esteban Ocon will not race for Haas again this season, the American-owned Formula 1 team has confirmed, after a row with team boss Ayao Komatsu at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

What happened between Ocon and Haas?

Ocon was stood down before qualifying in Mexico City after a disagreement with Komatsu. The Frenchman has confirmed there was a row but denied reports that it turned physical. Haas has not given details, saying the conversations remain an internal matter.

Komatsu said the decision was “never made lightly” and was in the best interests of the team.

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Who replaces Esteban Ocon?

Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa stepped in at short notice in Mexico City and finished 10th on his debut, scoring a point. For this weekend’s race in Brazil, Haas has called up Rafael Câmara, the Ferrari-backed Brazilian who was already lined up to take Ocon’s seat in 2027. He will race in front of his home crowd at Interlagos.

F1 rules allow a team to use a maximum of four drivers in a season unless there are exceptional circumstances, and Haas has now used Ocon, Bearman, Hirakawa and Câmara.

Is this the end of Ocon’s F1 career?

Ocon, 30, is a race winner, having won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine. He was already due to leave Haas at the end of the season, and there is no confirmed seat for him in 2027.

Sources: Haas F1 Team statement, ESPN, Crash.net, Yahoo Sports. Photo: Liauzh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.