Esteban Ocon makes promise to Oliver Bearman ahead of 2025 Haas partnership

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Esteban Ocon will race alongside rookie Oliver Bearman at Haas next year in what is an all-new driver line-up for the team. Ocon has already been cast as the lead driver given the gulf in experience.

The Frenchman will have comfortably passed 150 race starts by the end of the 2024 season. Bearman, on the other hand, has only one to his name after standing in for unwell Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March.

Ocon is leaving Alpine by mutual consent after five years with the team. He’s previously been a junior presence himself alongside the likes of Sergio Perez (Force India), Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine).

His current teammate Pierre Gasly has completed virtually the same number of races (147 vs 143). But Haas have taken a risk on Bearman and they’ll need Ocon, now 27, to provide guidance.

They fielded an all-rookie pairing of Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in 2021, but neither driver lasted long. Mazepin lost his drive after one season after his sponsorship money was cut off, and Schumacher was gone at the end of 2022.

Burned by that experience, the team turned to two veterans in Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. But Magnussen’s haul of 10 penalty points, just two short of a race ban, shows that older drivers can be reckless too.

Esteban Ocon unsure if he’ll be ‘team leader’ alongside Oliver Bearman at Haas

Bearman will have an advantage over Ocon because he’s already worked with the team. He’s midway through an extensive FP1 programme that will see him take part in more than a quarter of the 2024 Grand Prix weekends.

The Briton will therefore be more familiar with the team’s processes and personalities. But few will expect him to beat Ocon in more than a handful of races next year.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Ocon shied away from declaring himself the team’s lead driver. But he also promised Bearman that he’d share all the ‘important’ information he could.

Ocon has a close friendship with Ayao Komatsu, who’s now the team principal at Haas. He was an engineer at Lotus back when the 2021 Hungarian GP winner was a test driver.

He said: “I don’t know if ‘the team leader’ is the right thing to say, but I will put commitment, efforts, dedication to not miss any single detail and to share everything that I believe is important to improve – but quickly.”

What Pierre Gasly said about Esteban Ocon relationship

Komatsu admits he may be wrong about Ocon, who will arrive at his new team with a damaged reputation. He hit Gasly on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, the sixth time he’s collided with a teammate during his F1 career.

Gasly sent Alpine a message about Ocon in a podcast appearance last year, hinting that he was more committed to maintaining harmony in their ranks. They ultimately decided to hand him a new contract as they parted ways with his teammate instead.

The move to Haas, therefore, could be a much-needed PR victory if he successfully guides Bearman. Ferrari’s Fred Vasseur told Komatsu to hire a mentor and will keep a close eye on the teenager’s development.

Haas have outscored Alpine by 27 points to 11 this season. With the Enstone outfit likely to improve next year given the resources at their disposal, Ocon could find himself wheel-to-wheel with Gasly on multiple occasions.