In the days leading up to Formula 1’s arrival in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix, speculation began circulating that Esteban Ocon’s relationship with Haas was nearing breaking point. Some reports even suggested the French driver could leave the American team before the end of the current campaign, creating an unexpected wave of speculation around the paddock.
During the traditional Thursday media sessions in Montreal, both Esteban Ocon and Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu firmly rejected those claims. The rumours had suggested that a heated confrontation took place between the two following the Miami Grand Prix, allegedly signalling the beginning of a collapse in their working relationship. Both men made it clear that no such incident ever happened.
“Honestly, I have no idea where this story came from,” Ayao Komatsu said. “I don’t even know whether this journalist was quoted correctly, but there is absolutely no basis to it. It’s complete nonsense. If someone wants to write this kind of rubbish, fine, but seriously, can this be called journalism? It’s terrible. What are they trying to achieve? It’s ridiculous. There is absolutely no foundation to any of this. Have any of you ever heard me say something like that? It’s unbelievable.”
The Haas boss made it clear that there was nothing internally to resolve with Esteban Ocon and strongly criticised the way the story had spread without verification.
“I spoke with Esteban this morning,” Ayao Komatsu continued, “but from our side there is absolutely nothing to clarify. Apparently I was supposed to have had an issue with him in Miami, right? But where does that even come from? I didn’t even have an argument with Esteban in Miami. It’s unbelievable how these kinds of stupid stories get amplified. Then, because nobody checks the source, everyone jumps on it. How can that be called journalism? It’s just cheap gossip.”
Ayao Komatsu went on to describe the entire episode as a complete waste of time, stressing that these types of rumours only create unnecessary distractions around Esteban Ocon and the people working closely with him. He also suggested that the confusion may have originated from inaccurate translations and media speculation abroad.
According to the Japanese team principal, he first became aware of the rumours through a Japanese website, where claims were also made about his supposed interest in bringing Yuki Tsunoda to Haas.
“It’s a total waste of time. Esteban worries, his manager worries. But Esteban knows very well that we didn’t have any discussion in Miami, at least not about anything specific,” Ayao Komatsu added. “This morning we were actually joking about the whole thing, trying to figure out what it was even supposed to mean. That’s why I decided to address it publicly, because it’s complete and absolute nonsense. This is not a situation we need.
“I think part of this was translated into Japanese, and in Japan there are a lot of websites that seem desperate to invent stories about me wanting to bring Yuki into the team or things like that. Then the story gets picked up by a French journalist. So I ask myself: if you’re a French journalist, what exactly are you trying to do to a driver from your own country by spreading this kind of rumour just for attention? Are you trying to damage a driver from your own nation? What is the point? When you write an article, you should verify the source, shouldn’t you?”
Ayao Komatsu also reflected on the wider issue of media credibility, making no effort to hide his frustration.
“Honestly, when I was younger I wanted to become an investigative journalist,” he concluded. “But when I read things like this today, I think: aren’t you ashamed of what you’re writing? Publishing stories with absolutely no factual basis destroys credibility. Any media outlet that spreads this kind of fake news loses credibility, at least in my opinion. This isn’t even about misrepresenting something I said. There isn’t even the smallest grain of truth in it. It has nothing to do with anything I ever said, because I never said anything remotely like that. It’s unbelievable.”
Esteban Ocon also addressed the controversy, expressing disappointment at how quickly false claims had spread and how easily public perception could be influenced.
“It’s disappointing to see how a driver’s reputation can be damaged in just two or three days without any basis whatsoever,” Esteban Ocon said. “And then the people responsible just carry on as if nothing happened. The story became so widespread that even fans started reacting to it, and it was being shared by all those terrible social media outlets. It became so big that you simply couldn’t ignore it.
“I even saw one article where Ayao was called Ryo Komatsu, which was actually quite funny. They also claimed we had a major argument in Miami. It’s all completely false. Honestly, it’s entirely made up, total nonsense. As I’ve said before, one of the reasons I joined this team is because I’ve known Ayao for a very long time. I have a very strong relationship with him, and that has always been the case. I’m fully focused on my job and what I need to do with the team. I’m completely committed to this project for the entire season.”
Leave a Reply