Esteban Ocon, who will leave Alpine to join Haas in 2025, will have the opportunity to drive the Haas VF-24 this year.
Alpine and Haas have agreed to allow Esteban Ocon to take the wheel of the VF-24 from post-season testing in Abu Dhabi. The Frenchman will therefore have the opportunity to familiarize himself both with this new car, but also with a new working environment.
Any comments from Esteban Ocon will be taken into account for development
These laps behind the wheel of the 2024 car will be all the more important as the 2025 F1 races will be quite close to this year's.
“It will be the first time that Esteban will drive our car, which is important, because it is obvious that the regulations are stable,” said Ayao Komatsu, director of the Haas team, before the Brazilian Grand Prix. “So next year’s car will be an evolution of this one. So it's a good thing that he tastes this car before January, or as soon as possible, to see what our car is like, its strengths and its weaknesses. Then, if he has any feedback, we can continue to work on it during development.”
Read also: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly congratulated by Emmanuel Macron after their podium
Haas was supposed to find itself in an ideal position during these Abu Dhabi tests with its two 2025 drivers at the wheel, with Ocon on one side, but also Oliver Bearman on the other who was scheduled for the test dedicated to rookies .
Problem, with the replacement of Magnussen (ill) by Bearman in Brazil, the latter is no longer considered a rookie by the regulations having competed in three F1 Grands Prix.
We will therefore have to see how Haas will manage this situation linked to the Abu Dhabi test, since Ayao Komatsu had spoken out on this subject before Bearman was called to compete in the Grand Prix of Brazil. However, it is likely that the American team will decide to share the running dedicated to the tire test in Abu Dhabi between Ocon and Bearman.
Read also: Ocon and Gasly had “flashbacks” of their past: “No one can understand”
