Esteban Ocon acknowledges that Haas still needs to regain its confidence, even after what he describes as an impressive recovery between the first two races of the 2025 season.
Although Haas had a promising pre-season testing phase, their performance at the Australian Grand Prix was underwhelming—they ended up as the slowest car and nowhere near scoring points in a chaotic race environment. However, just a week later, the team made a solid comeback in China, securing double points. They initially finished in seventh and tenth places, but post-race penalties improved their standings to fifth and eighth. Despite this, Ocon emphasizes the importance of maintaining a consistent level of competitiveness moving forward.
“We need to keep our momentum,” Ocon remarked. “The confidence isn’t fully settled yet, mainly because it’s only the start of the season. We’ve swung from being at the bottom to midfield, and now we’re at the top of the midfield pack.”
He stressed the importance of self-focus, adding, “It’s crucial we stay focused, refine what we’ve got, and optimize our performance. There’s still room to tap into the car’s potential, which is an exciting prospect.”
Despite his cautious stance, Ocon is highly complimentary of the work Haas did between the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix, hoping it demonstrates the team’s potential.
“Just days ago, we found ourselves at the back of the pack in Melbourne, facing tough prospects,” he confessed. “We hardly slept and barely ate—something Ayao Komatsu, our team principal, repeatedly emphasized. But all that effort paid off as we thoroughly analyzed how to improve the car’s performance, knowing there was more to extract.”
Reflecting on the team’s achievements, Ocon added, “It’s a delightful surprise to realize there’s potential left to harness, and that’s where we’re focusing now. It’s very encouraging. The turnaround the team has managed is incredible, and I’m proud of everyone involved in both Maranello and Banbury. They poured their hearts into finding solutions.”
He concluded with praise for Ollie Bearman, saying, “Huge congratulations to everyone, and especially to Ollie for the double points—it’s a significant achievement for us. He had a challenging start in the Sprint but executed an alternate strategy brilliantly. Seeing it all come together is fantastic, and let’s hope this is just the beginning.”
