There’s no dearth of excitement where it concerns the Haas Formula 1 team.
However, the buzz does not surround the team’s current performance in the ongoing world championship season, where it has scored only 7 points (being ahead of Alpine, Williams and the Stake F1 team).
The excitement pertains to what could possibly become its next season’s driver line up.
Not too long ago it was confirmed that current driver Nico Hulkenberg would be moving to Sauber, slated to become Audi in lines with the German entrant’s Formula 1 debut.
But now it has also become clear that the American racing team is targeting Esteban Ocon, who is due to leave his current Alpine team at the end of the 2024 season.
We have already seen the sense of friction that has existed with the all French driver line up at Alpine with the tension between Gasly and Ocon hitting peak crescendo at the recent Monaco Grand Prix.
Ocon, it could be argued, will find himself better off outside or away from Alpine.
Having said that, Haas’s current team principal Mr. Komatsu shared some insights with regard to the team’s future driver line up and its 2025 plans.
For starters, he confirmed the fact that the team are currently mulling over the possibility of recruiting Frenchman Esteban Ocon.
Lest it is forgotten, Ocon is already a Grand Prix winner (2022 Hungarian Grand Prix) and his last career podium came at Monte Carlo in the 2023 season, where he finished ahead of then teammate Fernando Alonso.
Moreover, the French driver is planning to expand his prospects in the sport having no plans whatsoever of moving away from the highest form of Motor Racing.
Furthermore, the driver with 142 Grand Prix starts to his name is still a young force in the highest form of competition. With time and fierce determination on his side, Ocon could do quite well for himself after undergoing a team change upon the conclusion of the 2024 season.
Having said that, Mr Komatsu happened to highlight the following:
“He’s got a lot of experience, he is a race winner, he’s got podium finishes and has scored many points and then he worked with a few different teams. So he’s got a lot of experience which is what we are looking for, but also he’s still only 27, he’s still very young. And I think his commitment and work ethic is very, very good. I’m talking with several of the current F1 drivers, experienced guys, as well as some of the young drivers.”
That told, while Ocon is definitely on the radar of Haas, who could fill the other vacancy at the racing outfit?
There again, should Haas look ahead of Kevin Magnussen who’s clearly seemed out of form and a bit capricious, to be frank, spinning and making erroneous moves quite often, it could bring down curtains on the Danish driver’s F1 career. The team insist that they are looking to find a promising and talented driver to fill up the second racing seat.
Could that, therefore, go Ollie Bearman’s way?
The young Briton is among the most capable talents out there, a product of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Lest it is forgotten, it was Bearman who scored points earlier this year on his F1 debut when he replaced the medically unfit Carlos Sainz at Jeddah, home to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A fighting seventh is what he had scored.
Should Ocon and Bearman pair at Haas in 2025, it would be an exciting combination of talent and youth, don’t you think? But will that actually happen?