Ayao Komatsu explains the concern he shared with Esteban Ocon before signing 2025 Haas deal

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Esteban Ocon is a seasoned veteran of the Formula 1 grid, and his experience helps him be one of the most well-rounded drivers in the sport.

In his time he has driven for three teams in a full-time capacity, taken a race win, and been involved in his fair share of teammate controversy.

Sergio Perez, Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly have all come up against the force of the Frenchman, who once seemed on the fast-track to a Mercedes F1 seat.

Notable moments include a few messy moments with Perez at Spa in 2017, as well as Baku and Singapore in 2018, a blocking incident with Alonso at Hungary in 2022, and a bump into the side of teammate Gasly at Monaco this season.

Ayao Komatsu shares Esteban Ocon concerns during negotiations

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu was aware of the Frenchman’s reputation when it comes to his relationship with teammates and raised it during negotiations for a contract.

Ocon, who signed a multi-year deal with the team, has matured through his career and certainly seems to be involved in less incidents than in his Force India or earlier Alpine days.

Speaking to Crash, Komatsu revealed that he has no issue with the matter and insisted that trust is important.

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“It was a discussion point but I have my belief from the beginning,” he said. “I had to speak with Esteban in an honest way to understand where he’s at in all those things.

“Honestly, fundamentally, what I believe is as long as we have good, respect relationship with mutual respect and transparency. If we’ve got fundamental trust between the team and the driver, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Why Ocon needs to form a good partnership with 2025 teammate Oliver Bearman

Ocon will partner rookie Oliver Bearman in 2025, who will need to learn from the Frenchman if he wants to hit the ground running at a variety of circuits he won’t have driven on before.

Haas also need both drivers to be scoring regular points in what is a very tight midfield – of course that could change for next season, but they’ve been trending upwards for a while now and that’s a positive sign.

READ MORE: Nico Rosberg tells Kevin Magnussen what he must learn after picking up a one-race ban

Attracting a driver of Ocon’s calibre and age is real evidence that the team is headed in the right direction after the dark days experienced at the end of Guenther Steiner‘s tenure.

They haven’t fallen off as the season has progressed this year, and they also appear to be developing their car positively, making useful additions to it.

It’s a shame to be waving goodbye to Nico Hulkenberg, but in Ocon, they may just have found the perfect replacement.