Why Ocon will be a good fit for Haas

In any walk of life, unwelcome reputations are tricky to shift. In Formula 1, they can be especially brutal. Look at Romain Grosjean being branded a “first-lap nutcase” by Mark Webber at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2012 after they made contact.

Grosjean’s former team-mate at Lotus Pastor Maldonado was dubbed “Crashdonaldo” for his habit of crashing. During his 96 grands prix, there were 29 retirements, he incurred 39 penalties totalling 88 places of grid penalties and 305 seconds of time penalties.

As Ocon is announced as joining Haas for 2025, his arrival will also bring a reputation for not being a team player – baggage that Haas cannot afford as it aims to build on the progress under team principal Ayao Komatsu, who has done an outstanding job since replacing Guenther Steiner.

Should the aforementioned reputation for being a bad apple come true, it would put Haas in a tricky position as it looks to use Ocon’s experience as a way to cultivate the career of Oliver Bearman, Ocon’s rookie team-mate.

However, despite seemingly being a lone-voice on this opinion, it is not inconceivable that actually Ocon is the perfect person to drive Haas forward and that the preconception is all wrong.

If we look at Ocon’s relationships during his career it is possible to identify the flash points, while team harmony is less obvious and rarely talked about. For instance, his time with Manor has not been scrutinised. Neither when he drove alongside Daniel Ricciardo at Renault.

Esteban Ocon, Renault F1 and Daniel Ricciardo, Renault F1

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

He initially had a good partnership with Sergio Perez at Force India but their relationship deteriorated. However, if we are being honest, Ocon was not entirely to blame.

The two fell out in Canada in 2017 when Perez failed to follow a team request to allow Ocon pass. They made contact at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and blamed each other. The two made contact again at Hungary and then Perez accepted the responsibility at the Belgian Grand Prix for clashing into Eau Rouge and then later again at the same spot in the race, costing Ocon his front wing as the Mexican suffered a tyre puncture. And they also crashed at the Singapore GP in 2018 – that time Perez sent Ocon into the wall and out of the race.

Then there was Ocon’s partnership with Fernando Alonso, someone who himself has often faced questions about his role as a team player. The two tangled during their time with Alpine, but again, the responsibility for the bad blood cannot always be pinned 100% on Ocon.

However, perhaps the most obvious example is his current spat with Pierre Gasly, which has ultimately cost him his seat at Alpine, who has yet to find a replacement.

His error in the Monaco Grand Prix drew criticism from Alpine team boss Bruno Famin and Ocon was turfed out the door. In the subsequent race in Canada, Ocon was left bemoaning the fact he was “too nice” after allowing Gasly to pass.

His words in the post-race media interviews were significant and picked up on his growing reputation for someone who is not interested in working with a team in mind. In Montreal he used the phrase “I did my part of the job, being a team player, being the nice guy. But too nice, I am”.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

He then pointed out he did comply after initially refusing to play ball, saying: “Being too nice is not the right attitude to have in Formula 1 but I showed that I’m a team player, and that’s what matters.”

And that’s exactly why he is a better fit than most people are giving him credit.

Having emerged from the post-Steiner, joke-a-minute pantomime, Haas needs a bit of gumption to drive forward and maybe Ocon is it. Maybe Haas is guilty of being, to use Ocon’s words about himself, “too nice”. Too content with just making up the numbers and not progressing.

Ocon can be brilliantly quick on his day. He has the experience and can be empowered by the trust Haas is putting in him as its #1 driver to nurture Bearman. He may also bring a ruthlessness.

Ocon, who comes from a humble background – his parents sold their family home and lived in a caravan to help fund their son’s racing career – and that bodes well for the Haas, who, if we are being kind, is not the most affluent team in the paddock. It will provide appreciation for Ocon and is hungry for success.

Ocon will be a big fish in a small pond and will have the delicious potential to prove people wrong. There will undoubtedly be less pressure too. Plus, given Bearman’s inexperience and clam demeanour, less rise to any immediate fractions with his team-mate.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524, leads Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

And finally, there is the reason to trust Komatsu and in what he is building at the team. In a recent interview with Autosport, before Ocon’s confirmation, Komatsu identified the character he wanted in the second seat alongside Bearman.

He said: “With selecting a driver like Ollie, I can clearly see his potential and there will be questions like can we harvest that potential? Are we in position to do that for him and for us? The answer was 100,000 yes, because with where we are as a team improving and progressing, and where Ollie is, it is in parallel and in sync.