Esteban Ocon’s move to Haas was seen as a fresh start. A new team, a cleaner slate, a chance to put two difficult final years at Alpine behind him. So far, it has been anything but. Overseas reports now suggest the Frenchman’s relationship with team principal Ayao Komatsu has deteriorated badly enough that his seat could be under threat before the season is even halfway through.
Ocon has managed just one point against Oliver Bearman’s 17 across the opening rounds – a gap that is hard to argue away.
The situation reportedly came to a head during the Miami GP weekend, where Ocon again failed to score. Brazilian journalist Julien Cerasoli, speaking to UOL Esporte, gave the scenario its negative spin:
“Ayao Komatsu doesn’t like Ocon. He clearly doesn’t like him, and he’s not happy with his current performance,” Cerasoli said via F1-Gate.
“In fact, I’ve heard that he’s not sure if Ocon will be able to compete until the end of the season. So, to put it bluntly, Ocon’s current situation is not good at all.”
This isn’t a situation that arrived without warning.
Komatsu stated publicly at the start of the year that “nobody is satisfied with Esteban’s sporting result last year”, adding that Ocon is “a teammate against a rookie, yes, an amazing rookie, but nonetheless he’s got 10 years of F1 under his belt” and that the team “expected more from him.”
Ocon entered 2026 knowing exactly where he stood. He was not particularly surprised by Komatsu’s candour, telling media including RacingNews365: “It was not really a surprise to see Ayao’s comments.”
The Candidates Waiting in the Wings
F1 has shown repeatedly that sentiment counts for very little when points are on the table. In 2025, Liam Lawson lasted just two races at Red Bull before Yuki Tsunoda took over, while Jack Doohan was given six races at Alpine before Franco Colapinto replaced him.
Ocon now risks becoming the next chapter in that story.
Doohan signed with Haas as a test and reserve driver after losing his Alpine seat, which would make a potential mid-season call-up an easy option.
Ryo Hirakawa, who has regularly competed in FP1 sessions with the team, also remains in contention thanks to his Toyota connections.
The Ferrari pipeline offers a third avenue, with Haas’s ties to the Scuderia potentially opening the door to promoting an F2 driver mid-season – both Rafael Câmara and Dino Beganovic have made encouraging starts to the 2026 F2 campaign. Arthur Leclerc is also an option.
What Komatsu values above all else is straightforward: contribution.
After four rounds, Bearman sits eighth in the drivers‘ standings on 17 points, while Ocon is 16th with just one.
That is not a gap a team fighting in the midfield can afford to carry indefinitely. Ocon has been in worse situations before and found his footing. But the clock, and reportedly his own team principal, are no longer on his side.
