Esteban Ocon joins Haas for 2025

Ocon’s end-of-season departure from Alpine was confirmed at the beginning of June, but there was never any risk of the Frenchman falling off the F1 grid. His talents are well respected, and Haas immediately became the favourites for his signature.

It will be the first time in his career as the most experienced driver within a team, so it will be interesting to see how he adjusts his ethic, which up to this point has seen him fall out with several of his previous team-mates over on-track dramas.

Ocon replaces Kevin Magnussen, who Haas announced would be leaving at the end of the 2024 season, and becomes the first grand prix winner to race for the American team.

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu said: “I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for Haas. 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.

“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 organisation.

“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 and I look forward to welcoming Esteban into Haas for 2025.”

Image courtesy of Motorsport Images