Esteban Ocon Carries “Not a Team Player” Label; Oliver Bearman Predicts Their Relationship at Haas

Since making his debut in 2016, Esteban Ocon developed a reputation for not being a great teammate owing to his several intra-team altercations over the years. Earlier this week, Haas announced that Ocon would join them in 2025, and questions regarding his relationship with Oliver Bearman came up.

Bearman, too, will join Haas next year, as a rookie. However, he isn’t worried about the infamous tag that Ocon carries with him.

On Instagram, Berman was answering some of his fans’ questions, when one asked him who his best friend on the grid would be. The Briton said,  “I guess my teammate, who was newly announced, Esteban Ocon. I hope we get along well.”

For Ocon, the infamy began in 2017 when he partnered with Sergio Perez at Force India. That year’s Canadian GP saw enmity evolve between the two after Perez did not allow Ocon to overtake him to challenge Daniel Ricciardo. Two weeks later, Ocon shoved Perez out of the track in Azerbaijan, ending his race.

He has since been involved in bust-ups with each of his subsequent teammates, the latest of which came in Monaco with Pierre Gasly. Reportedly, his history has kept him away from securing seats at good teams, despite being regarded as one of the quickest in F1.

Ill-repute in the grid has cost Ocon dearly

Not all bust-ups were Ocon’s fault, but the fact that he was almost always involved, wasn’t a coincidence. This became a problem for teams who had the 27-year-old on their radar.

Alpine became the latest to pull the plug on Ocon. A week after Monaco, it was announced that he would leave and Sauber and Williams became potential options. The latter’s team principal James Vowles, however, did not want the Frenchman in Grove; reportedly because of his inability to work in a team environment.

Haas needed to fill one of its seats after confirming Bearman in the other. And, the Kannapolis-based outfit landed Ocon’s signature.