Esteban Ocon's time as a Haas F1 driver appears to be over after he was dropped mid-weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix. The 30-year-old took part in second practice on Friday, after Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa had been given an opportunity in the first, but rowed with his race engineer over tyre choice during the session. It was subsequently announced on Saturday that Ocon would take no further part in the weekend and was replaced by Hirakawa for qualifying and the race before reports of disagreement between the Frenchman and team staff, including team principal Ayao Komatsu, emerged.
While Ocon has admitted there was a disagreement, he has denied suggestions that the exchange of views turned physical. He took to social media to insist: "A difference in viewpoints led to a discussion with the parties involved. Whilst I acknowledge that this took place, I categorically reject any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature."
Fallout and Future
Following the dispute, it's hard to see Ocon back in the car at this weekend's Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Given he had already been dropped by Haas for 2027, it's possible we may have seen him at an F1 weekend for the final time. Here are four other controversies and feuds Ocon has been involved in during his 10-year F1 career.
Verstappen Bust-Up
Ocon once left Max Verstappen so enraged that the Dutchman got physical with him after a race. Verstappen was cruising to victory at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix when he lapped the Force India (now Aston Martin) of Ocon, who bizarrely tried to unlap himself. That isn't strictly against the rules but spearing into the side of the Red Bull and sending it into a spin certainly was. It landed him a 10-second penalty, while Verstappen had to settle for second behind Lewis Hamilton.
A fuming Verstappen raged over the radio: "I hope I can't find him now in the paddock because that guy has a f****** problem." Verstappen found him in the weighing area after the race and shoved him in the chest several times. As a result, he was ordered to carry out two days of public service for the governing body, the FIA.
Bad Blood with Gasly
Given it was well known in the paddock that they can't stand each other, there was surprise when Alpine hired Pierre Gasly as Ocon's team-mate. Few could see how the former childhood friends could co-exist but they managed it for two years, albeit with a few flashpoints along the way. The most notable one came at Monaco in 2024, when an overly ambitious first-lap move by Ocon saw him collide with Gasly, who limped on to finish 10th. Ocon, who retired, was punished with a five-place grid penalty for the next race and a stern public warning from Alpine. Ocon accepted responsibility, while Gasly said: "I don’t want to go into too much details, but these things should not happen. It was a clear instruction from the team on what to do, what we were supposed to do, and this wasn’t respected [by Ocon]."
Perez Clashes and Alonso's Parting Shot
Ocon and Sergio Perez came to blows on numerous occasions during their two years as team-mates. Following a collision at the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix, Force India imposed team orders barring them from challenging each other. Following a brief truce, they were at it again at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. Following a first-lap tangle that ended Ocon's race, team principal Otmar Szafnauer had to lay down the law again. He fumed: "It's unacceptable for them to come together like that in an area where there's no run-off room. We're back to the old rules. The team is more important than one individual. If that's what they're going to do, we'll have to take control from here. We allowed them to race on lap one, whereas in the past we didn't let them race on lap one and now we can remove that."
Ocon partnered another fiery driver for two years at Alpine. Needless to say, it wasn't plain sailing. The pair collided twice during the Sao Paulo sprint in 2022, leaving both with damage and lowly starting spots for the main race. Alonso, who was given a five-second time penalty for his part in the second incident, was asked if he had spoken to his stablemate. The Aston Martin-bound Spaniard said: "I don't need to. It's one more race and then it's over finally. It's the way these things are. Sometimes it's very competitive inside the team."
