Racing
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Esteban Ocon has forcefully rejected reports that he is heading for an early Haas exit, saying ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix that there was no fallout with team principal Ayao Komatsu after Miami and that he remains committed to the team for the full season.
Ocon described the speculation as “complete bullsh*t” and said the central claim of a major argument in Miami was false. He also pointed to a basic error in one report, noting that it referred to Komatsu as “Ryo Komatsu.” “There was no dispute in Miami,” Ocon said, adding that the stories had been “fabricated with no foundation.”
The Haas driver said the rumours made little sense given his relationship with Komatsu. Ocon explained that he joined the team because of that connection, having known Komatsu for a long time and worked with him before in Formula 1. “I’ve got a great relationship with him,” he said. “There’s nothing like what people have been saying going on. It’s completely not true. I’m fully on board with the team for the whole year. I’ve got a contract with the team.”
The backdrop to the speculation is Ocon’s difficult start to 2026. He has scored one point so far, for 10th place at the Japanese Grand Prix, while team mate Ollie Bearman has taken 17 points across four Grands Prix and two Sprints.
Ocon said the story grew to the point that he could not ignore it, and that the effect went beyond social media noise. He said it affected his headspace, his family and his sponsors, and described the escalation as “almost like bullying in a way.” He also said it was “disappointing” that false reports could damage “the reputation of a driver in two or three days” despite having no factual basis.
He said the conversation with Komatsu after Miami had been routine after a difficult weekend for Haas, focused on understanding the car and improving performance. It was, Ocon said, “just a normal conversation” about “how to maybe improve this” and “what was going on with the car.”
That on-track response now shifts to Montreal, where Haas is introducing a new package after not bringing major upgrades to Miami. Bearman will use the new parts throughout the weekend, while Ocon will switch to them after the Sprint and before qualifying so the team can compare old and new specifications. Ocon said he hopes the update will help Haas “get back into the top 10” after what he called a difficult race in Miami.