Komatsu says Ocon exit was about the overall picture

Ocon insists his pace was not the issue. Komatsu praises his speed but will only say the whole picture pointed to a change, and Bearman expects a rookie beside him.

Ayao Komatsu has responded to Esteban Ocon's insistence that performance was not the reason Haas decided to drop him for 2027, saying the decision was based on the "overall picture".

Ocon said at Sepang that he knows why Haas made the call but insisted: "The reason wasn't my performance."

Komatsu did not directly contradict him, but suggested the definition of performance is broader than outright speed.

"I guess it depends what he means by performance," said the team boss.

"Performance just encompasses, let's say, everything, right?"

The Japanese made clear he does not doubt Ocon's pace.

"When everything is right, as you can see in the previous races, he's one of the fastest," said Komatsu. "He's got great speed, he's got great talent and he can execute at a very, very high level."

But when asked whether earlier-season performances influenced the decision, Komatsu stopped short of explaining the exact reason.

"I don't want to go into details, to be honest, because certain things we discussed with the drivers just remain really private. But even when they look at the overall picture, I think for me it was a time to make a change."

Oliver Bearman, meanwhile, may have offered another clue about what comes next.

The Briton said he is looking forward to potentially becoming "the leader" and "the most experienced driver within the team", strongly suggesting Haas intends to replace Ocon with a rookie.

Rafael Camara, who like Bearman is a Ferrari academy driver, remains widely expected to get the seat.

Related: Ocon frustrated by Haas exit as 2027 search goes on

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Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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