A few months after moving to Haas, Esteban Ocon draws a first interim conclusion and above all emphasizes the positive atmosphere in the American racing team. The Frenchman sees clear differences to his former team Alpine, in which he has repeatedly struggled with internal tensions in the past.
“Communication here is very direct, and that makes a lot easier,” says Ocon at Motorsport.com Global, the English-language sister publication of Motorsport-Total.com in Motorsport Network, about his first part season at Haas. “You always know what you are about, and that ensures a clear structure. This was not always a matter of course in my former teams. Compared to previous experiences, it is a healthier atmosphere.”
At Alpine there had been repeated quarrels during his time – be it between the drivers, in management or short -term personnel decisions. “They needed a month to provide a steering wheel with two clutch levers,” the Frenchman blasp.
Ocon itself was involved in several of these situations, including heated duels with teammate Pierre Gasly – up to the collision at the Grand Prix of Monaco 2024, which ultimately sealed out in the Renault group.
Since then he has repeatedly criticized Alpine openly. He described the team in Hungary in 2024 as “not good enough”, felt disadvantaged in the second half of the season in the second half of the season and scourged the team with Jack Doohan at the beginning of the 2025 season.
The frustration may also be due to the group’s internal battles around the future of the engine plant in Viry-Chatillon, which he experienced first-hand. Strikes and public protests repeatedly steered the focus from the sporty.
Fast processes impress OCON
At Haas he is now experiencing a different way of working. “Of course, Haas is smaller and more compact, but that is precisely an advantage. Decisions are faster, you can implement things at short notice. I have the impression that everyone pulls together here.”
“If we don’t do something correctly, we talk about it and hope that it will not happen again. And we talk about it immediately after the race. And that’s a good thing, because if you don’t talk about it – what I experienced in the past – you do the whole thing again.”
It is also going well in terms of sport. After a bad start in 2025 in Melbourne, at which the team was by far at the end of the field, a rapidly postponed update package in Suzuka caused a significant increase: “That was impressive: we reacted in a very short time and put on a car that was immediately competitive. This dynamic motivates the entire team.”
The cooperation with team boss Ayao Komatsu describes Ocon as “open and respectful”. It is particularly important to him that drivers are closely integrated into development processes at Haas. “You listen to our feedback, you also discuss details. That gives me the feeling that I really are part of the project,” said Ocon.
Despite all the positive impressions, Ocon remains realistic about the goals for the season. Points are still not a matter of course, but the basis for continuous further development is available. “We have to work hard, but if we maintain this team spirit, we can also exist against larger teams.”