Esteban Ocon labelled rumours linking him to an early exit from the Haas Formula 1 team as “complete bulls**t”, and played down stories of a dispute with team principal Ayao Komatsu.
After the Miami Grand Prix, posts on social media and on outsider media outlets claimed that Ocon and Komatsu had a falling out, adding that the Frenchman was due to be replaced at the team.
Asked about the rumours in Canada, Ocon stated that the accounts that had picked up traction were fabricated. He was keen to point out that he enjoyed a good relationship with Komatsu; the two have known each other since Ocon was a development driver at Lotus in 2014.
He explained that, although his start to the 2026 season had been disappointing, the team was understanding that misfortune had precluded him from picking up strong results over the opening rounds.
“Honestly, [it’s] complete bullshit to be honest. It’s unbelievable,” Ocon explained.
“I mean, we were just talking with Ayao just now. The article I saw was calling him ‘Ryo Komatsu’, which is quite funny. They were even saying that we had a massive dispute in Miami. And this is complete nonsense.
“Honestly, it’s all fabricated and complete bullshit. As I said, I came to this team for the reason that I know Ayao since so long. I got a great relationship with him. That’s always been the case.
“There’s nothing like what people have been saying going on. It’s completely not true. I’m fully focused on what I have to do, the job I have to do with the team. I’m fully on board with the team for the whole year. I’ve got a contract with the team.
“It’s crazy how things have escalated. I try not to pay attention too much, but when it gets so big, it’s almost like bullying in a way.
“I feel good. I feel relaxed in the team. We’re doing a great job in the last couple of races. It’s been unfortunate a bit in the beginning, with safety cars and stuff. But the pace and the base foundation of the work that we are doing is there. So, there’s nothing wrong going on.”
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Sona Maleterova / Getty Images
Ocon revealed that the rumours had affected him personally, along with his family and the support from his sponsors, and that the traction of the ‘story’ had caused him reasonable doubt before contacting the team.
He also hit out at the outlets that had posted the story, noting that they were unlikely to face any repercussions.
“We are all on board and in line with where we stand,” Ocon added. “And the dispute about Miami is pretty crazy. Because, obviously, we had a tough weekend after Miami.
“So, we sat down with Ayao. But we discussed a lot of different things. How to maybe improve this. How to get better. What was going on with the car in the weekend. It was just a normal conversation. So, I don’t know who’s fabricating this.”
“I think you guys didn’t write anything in particular. Which you guys are the good journalists, and you guys verify your sources. So, I don’t think the person who has written this article is here right now. Which is a shame.
“I had to get a bit involved into it, our team [did] and we had to have a look and understand where that could have come from. But as soon as we talked to the real people that are involved with the story, it’s quite clear that it’s complete bullshit. So, you are obviously much more fine when the story is very clear inside.
“Because it even gives you the doubt. Did we actually have a dispute? No. Yeah, I mean, all fine. Obviously, I’m human. So, it does affect in a way. It does affect my family. It does affect the sponsors. That are obviously counting on me and supporting me for many races and seasons for some sponsors that I got.
“And it’s disappointing to see that you can make such damage to a reputation of a driver. In two or three days. While there’s nothing founded. And these people would just get away with no issues. They just fabricate stories.
“It became such a big thing that fans started picking it up, commenting. And obviously, it’s been related on all the shitty medias that are there on socials. And yeah, it became big that obviously you can’t just not notice it. If you live in a cave, maybe. But you cannot.”
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