Haas: 2025 F1 car on track at Silverstone on February 16 with Ocon behind the wheel. Haas wants to ensure it has properly adjusted the cockpit for one of the two tallest drivers on the grid.

Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon are the tallest on the grid
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu stated that the American team – operational in Maranello and Banbury in the UK – will debut its 2025 car at Silverstone during a filming day on Saturday, February 16.

Esteban Ocon will be behind the wheel, as he was given priority because Haas engineers want to ensure that the cockpit dimensions are sufficient to comfortably accommodate one of the two tallest drivers on the grid (Ocon, like Albon, is 186 cm tall). Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman isn’t much shorter than Esteban Ocon, but he already drove for Haas in 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the Grand Prix missed by Kevin Magnussen, who had to serve a “suspension day” due to poor conduct (he had accumulated 12 penalty points on his driving license).

“Ocon will drive because he is the most challenging in terms of fitting in the cockpit,” said Komatsu. “We just want to make sure everything is fine from this standpoint so we have a little more time to react before the tests if any adjustments are needed. Oliver Bearman will then take part in the shakedown we have planned in Bahrain before the tests, and then Ollie will start the three-day testing session.” Haas will conduct a shakedown two days before the start of the scheduled tests on Wednesday, February 26. Therefore, Haas will be on track in Sakhir on February 24, and potentially not alone, as Mercedes has also announced it will be on track in Sakhir on February 25, the day before the tests.