Haas and Esteban Ocon made it official on Thursday.
The team and driver announced that Ocon had agreed terms to join Haas on a “multi-year” contract.
“I am delighted to embark on a new chapter in my Formula 1 career and join the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 season,” Ocon said in the team’s announcement. “I am joining a highly ambitious racing team whose spirit, work ethic and undeniable upward trend have really impressed me. I would like to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support and for the candid and fruitful discussions we have had over the past few months.”
Ocon noted that working with Haas team principal Komatsu is something of a reunion for the pair.
“On a personal note, I am very pleased to be working with Ayao again as he was part of my debut in my first F1 car as a Lotus junior over 10 years ago,” Ocon added. “The MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear goals for the future and I am very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello and to being part of this exciting project.”
Komatsu also took note of this history.
“I am delighted to have secured the services of Esteban Ocon for the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” said Komatsu. “I have been aware of his talent for a long time and our personal history goes back to Esteban’s first run in a Formula 1 car. I was his race engineer at Lotus that day. He was showing his talent at the time, performing well in the junior categories, having just won the 2014 European F3 Championship. Esteban has since gone on to become a well-established talent in Formula 1 and, of course, a Grand Prix winner.”
The move has been rumored in recent weeks.Following the announcement that Ocon and his current team Alpine will part ways at the end of the 2024 season, Haas named the veteran as one of the team’s options to remain on the grid next season.
The team has already announced that young Oliver Bareman will be their other driver next season, with Ocon now taking on a mentor-of-something role. Bareman is currently the reserve driver for both Ferrari and Haas, and made an impressive debut earlier this season when Carlos Sainz Jr. missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to appendectomy. Bareman qualified 11th in Sainz’s Ferrari after just one hour of practice, narrowly missing out on a place in Q3.
He then went on to try and score points in the Grand Prix, finishing seventh, ahead of both Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton on the final lap, to score points on his debut.
Komatsu emphasised Ocon’s role as a mentor, but also noted that at 27 years old, he still has a lot to prove in the sport.
“The experience he brings, not only to his own talent but also to his experience working for a manufacturer team, will be beneficial to our growth as an organization. Having an experienced driver alongside Oliver Bearman was essential next year but at just 27, Esteban is still young and has a lot to prove,” Komatsu added. “I think we have a hungry and dynamic driver pairing and I look forward to welcoming Esteban to the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in 2025.”
Team owner Gene Haas pointed to Ocon’s status as one of the grand prix winners on the grid.
“It was important for me to have a driver with a proven track record in F1 and as a Grand Prix winner, Esteban certainly fits that bill. He has consistently been a front-runner and points scorer with each team he has been with and we are looking to capitalise on that continuity as we look to improve our on-track performance,” Haas said. “Our future driver line-up has a mix of youth and experience and I am excited to see the results.”
Ocon’s announcement to move to Haas also means that two current drivers will be driving for other teams next season. Ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Nico Hulkenberg announced he would move to Sauber next season, which will become Audi’s works team in 2026. The team’s other driver, Kevin Magnussen, has already confirmed he will leave the team at the end of this season.
But the game of musical chairs for F1 drivers is nearing an end, with fewer and fewer seats left.
