Esteban Ocon on the verge of joining Haas for 2025 F1 season
Esteban Ocon is close to joining Haas for the 2025 F1 season.
Esteban Ocon’s likely switch to Haas could be announced ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
According to BBC Sport, they claim that Ocon has signed for Haas and an announcement could be imminent.
Since his departure from Alpine was announced earlier this year, Ocon has been heavily linked with a move to Haas.
Haas have at least one vacancy for next year after Nico Hulkenberg decided to leave the team to join Sauber ahead of Audi’s takeover in 2026.
Kevin Magnussen’s lacklustre run of performances since the start of last year has meant that Haas have looked at alternatives.
It seems that Ocon is their number one target with a deal almost official.
Ocon will team up with Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman, who was announced ahead of the British Grand Prix.
BBC Sport noted ahead of Hungary: “Esteban Ocon has signed to join Haas next season, BBC Sport has been told, and this is expected to be announced imminently, quite possibly in the run-up to this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
“This comes from well-placed sources close to Haas and Mercedes, who manage the Frenchman. As Haas have already signed Briton Oliver Bearman for 2025, that means Kevin Magnussen is out of the US-based team at the end of this season and is looking to either Alpine, Sauber or Williams for an F1 lifeline.”
Two other major players on the driver market are Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas.
Sainz has Alpine, Williams and Sauber as possible options, although he’s waiting to see what happens at Mercedes and Red Bull.
Wherever Sainz ends up will have a knock-on effect on Bottas, who is thought to be in the running to join Williams to reunite with James Vowles.
The BBC report added: “The same goes for Valtteri Bottas - and Carlos Sainz, for that matter, whose future following Ferrari’s decision to replace him with Lewis Hamilton is still not known.”