Ocon Dispels Haas Rift Rumours Before Canadian GP

Esteban Ocon has been quick to quash any whispers of discord with his team, Haas, following a swirl of rumours after the Miami Grand Prix. The French driver insists that claims of a rift with team principal Ayao Komatsu are entirely unfounded. "The stories have been fabricated with no foundation," Ocon stated firmly, adding that he joined Haas largely due to his longstanding relationship with Komatsu, who was his first race engineer in Formula 1.

The rumour mill spun into action after Ocon's challenging start to the 2026 season, where he managed to snatch just a single point with a tenth-place finish in Japan. Meanwhile, his teammate, Ollie Bearman, has racked up a more impressive 17 points across several races and sprints. Despite this, Ocon remains focused on the task at hand, emphasizing that his bond with Komatsu is intact and dismissing the speculation as baseless.

Ocon expressed his frustration over the impact of these rumours, noting, "At the end of the day, I'm human, so when it escalates so much and when there is so much going on it affects my sponsors, my family, it affects everyone that is around me." He added that this kind of unfounded gossip is not something he has encountered before in his F1 career. His priority remains the performance on track, assuring that as long as Komatsu is satisfied with his efforts, that's what truly matters.

This weekend, Haas is set to debut a new upgrade package in Canada. Bearman will have the advantage of running the new parts throughout the weekend, while Ocon will receive them after the Sprint, just in time for Qualifying. Ocon remains optimistic, saying, "I'm looking forward to seeing what this is going to bring us and hopefully it's going to help us to get back into the top 10, because Miami was a little bit difficult for us."

As the focus shifts to the Canadian Grand Prix, Ocon and Haas are keen to leave the chatter behind and concentrate on improving their on-track performance.