Esteban Ocon will be joining Haas for the 2025 season, as the American outfit has confirmed the same after weeks of speculation on the same. This means that Haas will have a complete overhaul of their driver lineup for next season just like they did in 2021.
This time Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg are the two experienced drivers making way for two younger drivers. However, this is not the first time Hulkenberg is making way for Ocon to join a team.
The German driver is leaving Haas for Sauber [which will become Audi in 2026]. Previously, whenever Hulkenberg switched teams, Ocon joined the team to fill his vacancy. The first such instance happened when he left Force India in 2017 and the Frenchman replaced him.
Esteban Ocon has replaced Nico Hülkenberg each time he has changed teams in F1
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After that, Hulkenberg was racing with Renault for three years till 2019. However, when he had to leave the team in 2020, once again Ocon replaced him at the Enstone outfit. Now, the #31 driver’s tenure at Renault (now Alpine) is coming to an end at the end of this season.
And yet again, he will be joining a team left by Hulkenberg for the 2025 season. There have been similar instances between other drivers too like Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo.
In Ocon’s case, this will be his fourth different team in F1. While imagining the Frenchman at Haas would have been quite unreal at the start of 2024, that’s how the driver market has played out this season. On top of that, Ocon has an ally at the Kannapolis-based outfit to make him settle in smoothly.
Ocon’s past connection with Haas boss Ayao Komatsu
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has worked with Ocon during his first F1 test back in 2014. Back then, Komatsu was working at Lotus Renault [Team Enstone which became Renault in 2016] as a race engineer.
When Ocon took part in a two-day test with Lotus in Valencia, Komatsu was his race engineer. The Frenchman had just won the European F3 championship that season and was a promising young driver knocking on F1 teams’ doors.
A decade later Komatsu will reunite with Ocon at Haas, with the latter now being a Grand Prix winner too. The Haas boss showered praise on the Alpine driver while discussing his signing. Komatsu said,
“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”.
Komatsu highlighted how Ocon’s experience of “working for a manufacturer team [Renault], will be advantageous” for Haas’ growth.
The Japanese engineer also mentioned how Ocon has come a long way in F1 now with podiums and a win under his belt. This will be the first time Haas will have a Grand Prix winner driving for them.
