Testy Estie in Haas farce; Ocon told to jog on

After being stood down from last weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix in mysterious circumstances, Esteban Ocon has been told that he won’t drive for Haas again this season. Or ever again, presumably.

The Frenchman was replaced by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa just hours before qualifying in Mexico, with Haas giving no official reason at the time.

Ocon had had a heated exchange with his race engineer in Friday’s second practice session over the team’s tyre plan, and admitted that “a difference in viewpoints led to a discussion” – reportedly an EastEnders-style argy bargy, though claims it got physical were strongly denied – that ended with his immediate removal from duty.

Hirakawa, who won Le Mans with Toyota four years ago and is a two-time WEC champion, crossed the line 12th in Mexico, but was promoted to P10 and a debut points finish after a post-race penalty for both Alpines.

Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara – who had already been announced as Ocon’s full-time replacement for 2027 – will now take over the car for this weekend’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix, but the seat is still vacant for the three races left on the calendar after that.

“Such decisions are never made lightly, as was the case in Mexico City,” said team boss Ayao Komatsu. “But then, as now, we feel this is firmly in the best interest of the team moving forward.

“The conversations that ultimately unfolded between the team and Esteban remain an internal matter, and we will continue to respect the private nature of closed-door situations.”

How strange. It leaves Ocon’s F1 career in jeopardy, with no seat apparently available to him in 2027.

The 30-year-old made his F1 debut with Manor in 2016, before spending two years at Force India (later Racing Point, and now Aston Martin), and later joining Renault (sigh, now Alpine) in 2020 following a year on the sidelines.

It was there that he enjoyed the highlight of his career, a stunning victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix where he emerged from a first-corner pile-up to lead virtually the entire 70-lap race. He made the podium for the French outfit on three other occasions, and joined Haas in 2025.

Strong results for the American team have been hard to come by though, and he's been comfortably outperformed by teammate Ollie Bearman in that time.

Ocon fought his way into the sport from a humble background – his parents sold their house to fund his karting career – and earned himself a reputation for never backing down. Over the years he clashed repeatedly with his own teammates; among them Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, and Fernando Alonso, whom he actually outscored over their two seasons together in the same garage.

He also famously collided with Max Verstappen while trying to unlap himself in Brazil, costing the Dutchman almost certain victory: the Red Bull driver marched straight up to Ocon after the race and shoved him. Thrice.

Are you hoping to see Ocon get his elbows out in F1 machinery again, or has he ticked off one too many people? Thoughts, as ever, BTL please – and keep it clean, contact will be punished by a 10-second penalty.