Ayao Komatsu, the Team Principal for Haas, has expressed his admiration for Esteban Ocon’s professionalism and how he is “setting the benchmark” for Oliver Bearman, Ocon’s rookie teammate in Formula 1. Since 2025, the Haas team has been graced with a new driver line-up featuring Ocon and Bearman, a thrilling pairing of a seasoned champion and a promising newcomer who left spectators in awe with his substitute performances last season.
Komatsu, in a pre-season testing discussion with select media outlets including Motorsport Week, highlighted how Ocon’s dedication, motivation, and meticulous attention to detail are serving as an excellent model for Bearman. He added, “Esteban’s exactly what we expected. He’s very determined, motivated, has attention to detail, working really hard with engineers. He’s very, very easy to work with and very precise. And also the tyre management, he’s very good, [with] really good experience.”
Komatsu also drew attention to Ocon’s exceptional role during the qualifying simulation, stating, “Even the qualifying simulation, you saw how strong Ollie was last year in qualifying, but even then, with the new car, adapting to it, et cetera, it’s really good to have somebody like Esteban to set the benchmark.”
Beyond recognizing Ocon’s contributions, Komatsu has also praised Bearman’s proactive attitude in taking on a full-time race driver role in F1. The young British driver already has the advantage of participating in two Grands Prix and numerous FP1 events with Haas the previous year, and Komatsu seems to thoroughly enjoy working with this rookie talent.
Bearman himself has acknowledged the wealth of experience Ocon brings to the table. Ahead of the F1 75 season launch, he expressed his excitement about the upcoming season and learning from Ocon. According to Komatsu, the two drivers are collaborating effectively, a crucial factor for team harmony as Haas is anticipated to lead the midfield in 2025.
The team’s success in the previous year was largely due to the effective teamwork of both Hulkenberg and Magnussen. Komatsu implies that this trend of cooperation and collective growth is likely to continue with the team’s new driver line-up, setting Haas up for a promising future in Formula 1.
