Ocon Delighted to Finalise Haas Move for 2025

Esteban Ocon is delighted to be joining MoneyGram Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season after the news was confirmed on Thursday morning.

Ocon’s departure from BWT Alpine F1 Team was announced earlier in the season, and the announcement came after an incident with his teammate, Pierre Gasly, at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, which left team principal Bruno Famin unhappy with the Frenchman. 

Ocon will now move onto a new chapter in his Formula 1 career with Haas in a completely new lineup alongside Ollie Bearman. 

After confirmation of the move, Ocon said: “I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter in my Formula 1 career and join MoneyGram Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 season.” 

“I’ll be joining a very ambitious racing team, whose spirit, work ethic, and undeniable upward trajectory has really impressed me. I’d like to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support, and for our honest and fruitful discussions these last few months. 

“On a more personal note, I’m very happy to be working with Ayao again, as he’s been a part of my debut when I first stepped into a Formula 1 car during my Lotus Junior days more than ten years ago. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear targets for the future, and I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello, and being part of this great project.”

Team principal, Ayao Komatsu added: “I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team. 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. He displayed his talents back then coming off the back of strong performances in the junior categories – he’d just won the 2014 European Formula 3 Championship.

“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 organization.

“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 MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for 2025.”

Gene Haas, team owner of Haas continued: “It was important to me that we have a driver with a known pedigree in Formula 1, and as a grand prix winner, Esteban undoubtedly fits that brief. Esteban’s proved himself in the teams he’s raced for as someone who’s continually in the mix and scoring points – it’s that continuity we’re keen to capitalize on as we look for increased performance gains on-track. We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver line-up and I’m excited to see the results.”