Haas Drops Ocon After Mexico Team Row — SkimNews
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- Haas dropped Esteban Ocon for the rest of the season on Tuesday evening after a falling-out with team principal Ayao Komatsu following Friday practice in Mexico City; Ocon had objected on team radio to engineer Laura Mueller switching his race-simulation run from soft tyres to mediums, and the dispute brought his already-planned year-end departure forward by a few races.
- Ocon disputed L'Equipe's report that his meeting with Komatsu ended abruptly and perhaps physically, saying a difference in viewpoints prompted the discussion and categorically denying any violence; lawyers are now involved and the exact trigger remains undisclosed.
- Ocon had developed a recurring pattern of becoming defensive and blaming the team or car when struggling; the team viewed it as a lack of accountability and had already exhausted its patience before Mexico City.
- Oliver Bearman outpaced Ocon on average over their two Haas seasons, while their clashes included a collision toward the end of the British Grand Prix and Bearman's radio call of Ocon 'an idiot' during Monaco practice.
- Mercedes concluded from data on George Russell and Ocon that Russell was its future, after Toto Wolff considered pairing Ocon with Hamilton but deemed their characters too combustible; Mercedes then secured Ocon a Renault drive for 2020.
- Ocon won his only F1 race at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix after a wet-start pile-up eliminated Bottas and both Red Bulls; he took the lead when Hamilton pitted, with Alonso then holding Hamilton back for 10 laps.
- Ocon now faces a year away from the grid and is seeking a reserve-driver berth, revisiting the situation he faced in 2019 when Force India was bought and Lawrence Stroll put Lance in his car.
Why it matters: Haas now has Ocon's seat available for the remaining races, while the 30-year-old has no immediate route back to the grid and faces a year sidelined pursuing reserve work. Mercedes had already selected George Russell over Ocon using comparative data, so the organization that manages Ocon still has no race seat for him.
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