“I’m very happy with my choice,” Ocon insisted on his decision to leave Alpine at the conclusion of this season in order to join Haas.

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Ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon elaborated on his decision to leave Alpine at the conclusion of this season in order to join Haas and become Oli Bearman’s teammate in 2025.

The anticipation surrounding ‘Ocon-to-Haas’ has been circulating in the paddock for quite some time. Therefore, when the announcement of the deal was made this past week, it did not cause a major stir in the Formula 1 community. Nonetheless, this move signifies a significant step for the 27-year-old French driver, transitioning from a ‘works’ team to a team considered as relative minnows in the sport.

Alpine's current situation can be described as crumbling, with more individuals choosing to leave rather than stay aboard a team that appears to lack direction and leadership. Under the questionable guidance of Luca de Meo, the team seems to be on a downward spiral, jeopardizing the legacy of one of the most renowned racing organizations in motorsport history.

Ocon himself admitted that discussions with Haas and other teams started about a year ago. “There’s been a lot of conversation going around the paddock. This conversation started quite a long time ago, already midseason of 2023. That’s really when things started, but Ayao Komatsu [Haas F1 Team Principal] really convinced me with his words.”

“I worked with Ayao in my first steps into Formula 1,” remembered Ocon. “When I was testing for the first time, ten years ago, and I even know him for a lot longer than that. So when we sat down for the first time, he explained to me about his plans going forward.

“They were very clear, they have a clear target, which is humble in terms of not showing off. It’s what I like, as well. They have very clear plans to improve from where they are now and they’re already starting that. As you can see this year, they’ve been clearly improving their performance, the car itself. And the plans are quite big and quite impressive looking forward.

“The decision for me was was was quite clear quite a long time ago, that I wanted a new challenge to write for my story. Five years in F1 with the same team is a long time. In Formula 1 terms, we’ve achieved good things we’ve achieved, but things are a little bit more difficult at times.

“It was a decision I’m very happy with, and I’m very excited. It’s a great challenge, a new adventure for me. After five years with this team, I look forward to finishing the season on a high, as best as I can for the team and then starting the Haas collaboration next year,” Ocon said.

The Frenchman is not bothered by the transition from being part of a 'big team' to joining the smaller team like Haas: “I’ve had experience at both ends. Racing Force India, back then working with Mercedes later on and working here. Now I will be working with Hass in the future. They are doing an incredible job at the moment.

“There are about three hundred working there so far, but they are doing better than teams with double, triple, and quadruple the size, which is remarkable. The plans going forward are also very appealing. So, yeah, I look forward to it.

“I’m very happy with my choice,” Ocon insisted. “Very happy with how we are going to move forward. Haas are competitors. They want to move forward. I am a competitor, I want to be moving forward and improving every time I step in the car. We are very much in line with our thought process,” he acknowledged.

Ocon is set to be paired with promising rookie Oliver Bearman as his teammate. Backed by Ferrari, Bearman will kick off his debut F1 season in 2025, with Maranello grooming him for a potential future seat at Scuderia.

The pair have been introduced as per Ocon: “I’ve spoken to Oli in Budapest, probably the first time that we met. He is a very young and exciting prospect in Formula 1. Many people are saying that he’s going to be a future F1 world champion. I can’t wait to be teaming up with him. He’s going to bring also fresh blood into the team new ideas.”

Ocon stated that when it comes to mentoring the Briton: “I don’t think Oli needs my help on anything. He probably has more experience with the team than I will have next year. He’s been driving a lot, you know, in FP1 and in testing as well.

“I’m probably gonna have to ask him a lot more things than tips I will give him tips. We’re just going to be very open on the whole situation, trying to get the team in the right technical way, very early on. I’m also going to try and add to the team, and I’m sure our collaboration is going to be great to lead this team forward and hopefully going where we want to go.”

Regarding his last season in Alpine colors, Ocon expressed regret: “This season has been frustrating is not a secret to anyone, no one’s happy inside the team, to where we are. And there hasn’t been enough of an improvement on some terms, on some technical issues that we had years ago.”

He continued: “I was referring to that circle of technical development and improvements. We haven’t been on top of that, and we are facing the issues that we had already three years ago, with that current car, which is not possible in terms of Formula 1 World.

“I wish this team the best. It’s a team that will forever stay in my heart. We’ve achieved together my first podium, my first win.

“It’s always going to remain special to my heart. I wish them the best for the future. But before that, we still have half the season to finish. And I hope that I can do my best to finish on a high with this team,” Ocon insisted.

Ultimately, the opportunity that could have been his at Mercedes slipped away. Following Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari in 2025, a spot opened up at the team headed by his long-time supporter and mentor Toto Wolff, leading to speculation that it might have been his. However, that was not the case.

When questioned about not securing a position at Mercedes, Ocon was resolute: “I’m very happy with my choice. I’m not going to speak about names or which teams. There were many discussions with many different teams since 2023.

The signing of Bearman followed by Ocon has finalized Haas F1 Team's driver roster for 2025. Consequently, the team's existing drivers, such as the seasoned Kevin Magnussen, will need to seek opportunities elsewhere. Meanwhile, Nico Hulkenberg confirmed his move to Sauber last month.