Ocon Criticizes Haas’ Belgian GP Strategy as “Big and Costly Mistake”

“The element that truly frustrated me is its recurrence.” 

This declaration, quite possibly unexpected, originated from Ayao Komatsu, the principal of the Haas Formula 1 team, during his reflection on the British Grand Prix – an event where Haas experienced difficulties amidst varying weather scenarios – in the paddock leading up to F1’s contest at Spa-Francorchamps.

Komatsu asserted that his group needed to execute races without errors and capitalize on available chances. However, this objective remained unmet in the main Belgian GP race. The critical point was the transition from intermediate tyres to slick tyres. 

Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon occupied the 11th and 12th positions during the initial phase, but neither managed to join the select group of drivers who successfully took a chance with an early pitstop. Ocon was, in fact, the last – albeit simultaneous with three others – to make the tyre change, which led to him seemingly using previously used rubber. Subsequently, the Haas cars found themselves in 14th and 20th place, ultimately completing the race in 11th and 15th, respectively. 

Ocon’s decision to pit just two laps later resulted in a loss of approximately 28 seconds to Lewis Hamilton, who was the first to swap tyres. About two seconds can be attributed to the Frenchman’s voluntary allowance for team-mate Bearman to pass him. “The team did not instruct me to let him by, but I was impeding him considerably in the middle sector, which was causing excessive wear on my tyres,” he explained following the race. 

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Peter Fox / Getty Images

Regardless, Ocon was unable to hide his dissatisfaction during his media address. He stated, “It’s disappointing. I believe there were two pivotal choices that we didn’t handle appropriately. 

“The primary mistake was making the pitstop two laps behind schedule. We should examine our performance in the recent couple of races, since I have the sense that we struggle to coordinate effectively when conditions are wet. 

“The further complication was fitting a used set of tyres when we had a fresh set available in the garage. Essentially, I drove the 35 laps using a used set of tyres, which resulted in a significant and costly error.” 

When Autosport inquired whether he had explicitly requested to make the pitstop earlier than the eventual decision, Ocon was guarded and weighed his response carefully. 

“We will scrutinize everything,” he answered. “If I need to share additional details, I will do so later. However, there is a well-defined procedure in place regarding who is responsible for making specific team decisions. I believe I acted as required, but it was ultimately a collective failure, and we will take all necessary steps to prevent such incidents in the future.” 

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal of Haas

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Although he displayed commendable team spirit by refraining from direct accusations, Ocon’s phrasing implied that his request for an earlier pitstop was turned down. This could have been because Haas aimed to avoid double-stacking the cars due to their proximity on the track. Alternatively, if his request had been made even sooner, the team might have considered slicks to be excessively risky at that moment. 

Furthermore, Bearman’s suboptimal pitstop timing was exacerbated by mechanical issues. 

“It was incredibly disheartening,” the young Briton stated. “We boxed a lap too late when transitioning from the inters to the slicks, which allowed several competitors to undercut us. However, this is part of racing, and it’s often difficult to make precise judgments.

“Honestly, I didn’t offer much feedback about the track conditions, as I was preoccupied with dealing with an engine problem and concentrating on that. I was having difficulties with my battery charge and various other aspects.” 

Haas did manage to secure six valuable points in the sprint with an impressive 5-7 finish, narrowing the gap to Aston Martin, who hold eighth place in the constructors’ championship. The upcoming Hungarian GP presents an opportunity for further advancement, with strategy being a key consideration. 

“I believe there might be some challenging weather conditions,” Ocon cautioned. “Therefore, we must resolve all our internal issues before we get there. Nevertheless, there is no reason why we shouldn’t perform well there.”