Haas will run an exciting new driver pairing in 2025 as Esteban Ocon moves over from Alpine to partner Oliver Bearman.
The American team have seen a dramatic improvement on track in 2024 under the guidance of Ayao Komatsu, who was promoted to the role after the departure of Guenther Steiner earlier in the year.
Komatsu felt the team would be towards the back of the field at the beginning of the season after scoring just 12 points the year prior. But Haas exceeded their own expectations and come the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, they had arguably the fifth fastest package on the grid as they finished seventh in the standings with 58 points.
Nico Hulkenberg considerably outperformed teammate Kevin Magnussen as he narrowly missed out on the top 10 in the Drivers’ Championship. The German was able to consistently battle amongst the points, while the Dane often acted as a protector for his teammate to score points.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
437 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
374 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
356 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
292 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
290 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
245 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
223 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
| 9 |
Fernando Alonso |
70 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
42 |
| 11 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
41 |
| 12 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
30 |
| 13 |
Lance Stroll |
24 |
| 14 |
Esteban Ocon |
23 |
| 15 |
Kevin Magnussen |
16 |
| 16 |
Alexander Albon |
12 |
| 17 |
Daniel Ricciardo |
12 |
| 18 |
Oliver Bearman |
7 |
| 19 |
Franco Colapinto |
5 |
| 20 |
Guanyu Zhou |
4 |
| 21 |
Liam Lawson |
4 |
| 22 |
Valtteri Bottas |
0 |
| 23 |
Logan Sargeant |
0 |
| 24 |
Jack Doohan |
0 |
Many F1 fans now wonder if Steiner was the problem at Haas after his recent comments about team owner Gene Haas being content to ‘simply participate’ in F1.
As Komatsu proved in 2024, the team are capable of more than just participating as they were able to compete in the midfield, and they will be hoping to improve upon their solid season in 2025.
Esteban Ocon motivating people at Alpine during their struggles earned ‘big respect’ from Ayao Komatsu
Next season, Haas will have an all-new driver pairing as Hulkenberg and Magnussen depart the team – with the former heading to Sauber. Bearman will step into a full-time seat in 2025 after impressing in his three sub appearances this season – two of which being with Haas in place of Magnussen.
Ocon will partner the Brit next season after Alpine released Ocon from his contract before the season finale in Abu Dhabi. The Frenchman got his first outing with the team in the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit.
READ MORE: All to know about Haas F1 Team from team principal to Ferrari and Toyota ties
Alpine endured a torrid start to the season with just 14 points from the opening 20 Grand Prix. Their incredible double podium in Sao Paulo propelled the team up to sixth in the standings, where they would stay after a brilliant run of results from Pierre Gasly.
Speaking with Sky Sports F1, Komatsu shared how Ocon’s efforts of motivating people at Alpine behind the scenes during their struggles at the start of the year earned ‘big respect’ from the 48-year-old.
“Once we knew that we lost Nico, I was searching for another team leader candidate, and Esteban Ocon for me, fits that bill very, very well,” he said.
“As Formula 1 is such a competitive sport, your team will have high and lows and then when your team is not performing, that’s actually when you show the character.
“To me Esteban, when Alpine really wasn’t performing [at the] beginning of this year, he was putting even more effort into improving the team, motivating people.
“I have a big respect for that and then I want Esteban to help us and get to the next stage with his work ethic. So that’s why we chose Esteban.”
Should Haas be concerned by Esteban Ocon’s reputation of crashing with his teammates?
Having Ocon alongside Bearman is the perfect balance of experience and young talent, with the former being able to guide the latter in their first full season. Jolyon Palmer thinks fans should ‘watch out’ for Bearman in 2025 after his impressive performances in 2024.
However, there may be some concerns surrounding the team heading into next season given Ocon’s reputation of coming together with his teammates.
READ MORE: Haas driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
The Frenchman came to blows on occasion with his Force India and Racing Point teammate Sergio Perez and collided multiple times with Gasly while at Alpine.
The 28-year-old’s relationship with the Enstone-based outfit had completely deteriorated come the end of 2024, which led to him being replaced before Abu Dhabi by their 2025 signing Jack Doohan. Alpine had even planned to replace Ocon before Qatar so they could test the Aussie sooner.
While the Frenchman does prove to be a great acquisition for Haas, his tendency to collide with his teammates will be a worry heading into 2025 as the team look to continue the momentum from an impressive 2024 campaign.
