MoneyGram Haas F1 Team have roped in French driver Esteban Ocon for the 2025 Formula One season and beyond.
Starting next year, Ocon will partner Ollie Bearman, who is set to make his full-season F1 debut with the American outfit.
Ocon, who is set to part ways with Alpine, becomes the first race winner to drive for the American team. The Frenchman has a wealth of experience under his belt, having raced for the likes of Manor Racing, Force India, Renault, and Alpine, also having three podiums to his name.
At Haas, Ocon will be reunited with Ayao Komatsu, their current Team Principal. Komatsu was Ocon’s engineer back in 2014 when he did his first F1 test with Lotus.
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Speaking about roping in Ocon, Gene Haas, Team Owner of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, commented:
“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 capitalise 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.“
Ocon added:
“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. The 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.“
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, said:
“I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for the 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 organisation. It was vital we had a driver with experience 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 the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for 2025.“
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