Formula 1 News: Haas signs Ocon as previously rumored

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has signed Esteban Ocon to a multi-year contract starting with the 2025 FIA Formula 1 World Championship – the 27-year-old Frenchman set to become the first grand prix race winner to drive for the American outfit since its Formula 1 debut in 2016.

Related Rumor: Formula 1 Rumor: Ocon to be Ferrari-funded Bearman’s teammate

Ocon, who also debuted in Formula 1 in 2016, savored the top step of the podium winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix for Alpine F1 Team – the team he departs in 2024 to join MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for next season.

With 146 career starts in Formula 1, Ocon has competed for Manor Racing, Force India, Renault and Alpine – amassing 425 points with three podium finishes to his credit, including his Hungarian Grand Prix triumph. 2022 marked Ocon’s strongest finish in the Drivers’ Championship placing eighth overall by season’s end. Ocon currently holds three top 10 finishes in the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship with tenth place finishes in Miami, Canada and Spain respectively.

Ocon’s first taste of Formula 1 was a 2014 test with the Lotus F1 Team, currently Alpine F1 Team, driving the E20 at Circuit de Valencia, Spain – engineered that day by none-other than Ayao Komatsu – now Team Principal at MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.

“I’m delighted we’ve secured Esteban Ocon’s services for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team,” stated Komatsu. “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. He displayed his talents back then coming off the back of strong performances in the junior categories – he’d just won the 2014 European Formula 3 Championship. Esteban’s gone on to become an established talent in Formula 1 and of course a grand prix winner. The experience he brings, not just from his own talent base but also from working for a manufacturer team, will be advantageous to us in our growth as an organization. It was vital we had a driver with experience in beside Oliver Bearman next year, but Esteban’s only 27 – he’s still young with a lot to prove as well. I think we have a hungry, dynamic driver pairing and I look forward to welcoming Esteban into MoneyGram Haas F1 Team for 2025.”

Gene Haas, Team Owner of MoneyGram Haas F1 Team commented; “It was important to me that we have a driver with a known pedigree in Formula 1, and as a grand prix winner, Esteban undoubtedly fits that brief. Esteban’s proved himself in the teams he’s raced for as someone who’s continually in the mix and scoring points – it’s that continuity we’re keen to capitalize on as we look for increased performance gains on-track. We have a blend of youth and experience in our future driver line-up and I’m excited to see the results.”

“I am thrilled to embark on this new chapter in my Formula 1 career and join MoneyGram Haas F1 Team from the start of the 2025 season,” said Esteban Ocon. “I’ll be joining a very ambitious racing team, whose spirit, work ethic, and undeniable upward trajectory has really impressed me. I’d like to thank Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for their trust and support, and for our honest and fruitful discussions these last few months. On a more personal note, I’m very happy to be working with Ayao again, as he’s been a part of my debut when I first stepped into a Formula 1 car during my Lotus Junior days more than ten years ago. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team has exciting plans and clear targets for the future, and I’m very much looking forward to working with everyone in Kannapolis, Banbury and Maranello, and being part of this great project.”

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team is next in action at the Belgian Grand Prix – with Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps hosting Round 14 of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship, 26-28 July.

Last Updated July 25, 2024