Esteban Ocon has all-but-officially inked a deal to extend his Formula 1 career with Haas starting in 2025, as confirmed by several insiders at the British GP.
This looming announcement comes as Haas, the modest American outfit, revealed that 18-year-old newcomer Oliver Bearman will take over from Nico Hulkenberg, who is set to join Audi-Sauber.
Ayao Komatsu, the team's principal, refuted suggestions that Haas was compelled by their technical partner Ferrari to choose Bearman, a young talent backed by the Maranello team, for the 2025 season.
"The decision was ours," Komatsu stated to Ekstra Bladet. "It's not like Ferrari forced us at all."
"Of course, we know Ollie is supported by Ferrari, so that's the financial side, but that's not all. It's his speed, his work ethic, his attitude, how he communicates with the engineers, how he understands the whole program, what we're looking for as a team and how he adjusts his approach to it.
Now that we've taken Ollie as a rookie, we will try to appoint somebody who's got decent F1 experience," Komatsu further explained.
While Kevin Magnussen, aged 31, possesses more Formula 1 experience than the departing Alpine driver and Frenchman Ocon, signs have been showing for a while that the Danish racer has been eyeing opportunities beyond F1 for 2025.
Another potential candidate for Haas was Valtteri Bottas, who now seems more likely to join Williams.
Bottas expressed his disappointment about being overlooked in Sauber's future plans with Audi.
"I don't want any headlines on this topic," Bottas disclosed to Ilta Sanomat, "but yes, with all that was said last year, the team's goals for the drivers would be that I would be the first driver to sign a contract.
"The team has talked to everyone about the other seat," he added.
At 34, Bottas confirms he still holds options within F1, but he has also received interest from Indycar teams. "There have been enquiries from a lot of places over my career," mentioned Bottas.
"I wouldn't say that all this waiting at the moment is frustrating - it's just part of the game. Things will work out in time."
