Komatsu Calls Out Ocon Rumours As ‘Absolute Bullshit’ After Clear The Air Talks

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has emphatically dismissed reports suggesting Esteban Ocon’s position at the team is under threat, calling the claims baseless.
The rumours originated from a report on the Pole Position show for Canal UOL, broadcast between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix, citing alleged tensions between Komatsu and Ocon.
Journalist Julianne Cerasoli claimed on the programme that Komatsu was unhappy with Ocon’s performance and that the Frenchman’s seat could be at risk before the end of the season.
She stated: ‘Ayao Komatsu clearly doesn’t like Ocon and isn’t happy with what he’s doing. I’ve heard rumours that Ocon might not finish the season; his situation isn’t good at all.’
Ocon addressed the media in Canada on Thursday, delivering a direct rebuttal and expressing full confidence in his working relationship with Komatsu at Haas.
He said: ‘The stories have been fabricated with no foundation. There were no real sources in there. I’ve joined this team because of Ayao, because I’ve known him for so long.’
Ocon also pointed to a basic factual error in the original report as an early indication of its credibility, noting the journalist had referred to Komatsu by the wrong first name.
He added: ‘He’s been my first race engineer in F1 and he’s going to set the record straight later in the media. There was no dispute in Miami but when I read the article that kicked it all off, they call him Ryo Komatsu, so as soon as I read that I stopped reading.’
Komatsu then addressed the media himself in Canada, leaving no ambiguity about his position on the reports and the standard of journalism he believed they represented.
‘I honestly don’t know where the story came from, no idea. No foundation whatsoever, absolute bull****, ‘ he said, adding: ‘If somebody wants to write that kind of bull****, feel free, but is that journalism? I have no idea. It’s terrible. What are they trying to achieve? It’s crazy. No foundation whatsoever.’
Komatsu confirmed he had spoken with Ocon on Thursday morning in Montreal, though he stressed there was nothing requiring defence from the team’s perspective.
He said: ‘It’s incredible. Part of it is that apparently I had some issue with Esteban in Miami, where’s that come from? I didn’t even have a single argument with Esteban in Miami.’
Komatsu described the conversation with Ocon as relaxed, with both parties treating the reports with disbelief rather than genuine concern about their professional relationship.
He explained: ‘Esteban gets worried, his manager gets worried. Esteban knows that we haven’t had any argument in Miami, at least a specific thing. This morning we were just smiling and talking about what the f***’s that about.’
Komatsu made clear he wanted to set the record straight publicly, describing the reports as an unnecessary distraction for a team already managing the demands of a busy race calendar.
He concluded: ‘So I said I’m going to just completely clarify this to everyone, because it’s absolute utter s***. Total bull****. It’s just something we don’t need.’
Ocon joined Haas for the 2025 season after departing Alpine, reuniting with Komatsu, who served as his race engineer during his early Formula 1 career.
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