Ocon performed strongly against double world champion Fernando Alonso across two seasons together and, while he has been edged out fractionally by Gasly both last year and this season so far, and at times had a fractious relationship with his team mate, he has nonetheless earned admirers from elsewhere on the grid.
Ocon, then, could afford to be choosy. Managed by Mercedes, his team assessed the options, and that included chatting to the likes of Sauber/Audi and Williams – the Frenchman (who is 6ft 1ins) even having a seat fit at the latter to see if he could physically fit in the car.
READ MORE: ‘There are still many seats available’ – Magnussen targeting 2025 F1 drive despite Haas exit
But Haas was always his frontrunner. He knows Ayao Komatsu well, the Japanese Team Principal having engineered Ocon in his first Formula 1 test with Lotus at Valencia in 2014. He trusts him and welcomed Komatsu’s strong chase of him. It made him feel wanted.
In joining Haas as their first-ever race-winning driver alongside rookie Bearman, Ocon will be the de facto team leader – and the Frenchman will feed off that as he still has a big point to prove in F1.
Source link : https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/analysis-why-haas-singled-out-ocon-as-the-man-they-wanted-and-what-it-says.7zwdkg3K7FAXS5Evcx1TCa
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-25 21:46:48
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
