Komatsu: Ocon Not Ill as Haas Stays Silent on Sudden Mexico GP Driver Swap

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has confirmed that Esteban Ocon's sudden withdrawal from the rest of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend is not illness-related, though the team is refusing to explain the call. Reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa replaces him at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Why it matters:

Ocon is already leaving Haas — Ferrari junior Rafael Camara was confirmed as his 2027 replacement last month — so a mid-weekend swap raises the real possibility that the Frenchman has driven his last race in Haas colours. It also puts scrutiny on a reserve pool now stretched thin.

The details:

• Haas announced the change on Saturday with a short statement that gave no reason.
• Komatsu, on the Sky Sports F1 pit wall during FP3, would say only: "I can't tell you much, but at least I can tell you that he's not ill."
• Ocon had been openly unhappy in FP2 when engineer Laura Mueller told him his high-fuel run had been switched to mediums: "No, no, I wanted the soft, like, don't do that to me. Come on."
• Komatsu declined to say whether that disagreement played any part.
• The 2021 Hungarian GP winner also left Alpine with a race to spare in 2024.

What's next:

Hirakawa is due at Monza next weekend for the WEC round, where he is chasing a third title, so if Ocon does not return in Brazil, Haas may have to call on Jack Doohan or ask Ferrari to release Camara early. Komatsu insisted he is not looking that far ahead: "I haven't got there yet." On Hirakawa: "He's a very, very intelligent guy... we got him as ready as possible."