Esteban Ocon said he was looking forward to driving the Haas car from the moment his move was announced.

The Frenchman will move to Haas next season after Alpine decided not to renew his contract, but it is already looking like promotion rather than relegation.

Esteban Ocon speaks ahead of Haas' move to Formula 1 in 2025

At the start of the season, Alpine's swap for Haas may have been seen as a move down the F1 rankings, but since then the American team has become the surprise package of the season, outperforming Alpine by more than three times and also negotiating a major deal with Toyota.

It appears Ocon made a smart career move by announcing his move in July.

“I’ve been excited since we announced we were going there next year,” said Ocon, who has been at Enstone since 2020. “I think you know what Ayao (Komatsu, Haas team principal) told me to push the team to the next step and that's what I believed at the time.

“Since then, I’ve been 100% convinced by how he wants to do things. It's fantastic to see, but I really hope they continue this upward trend and what they're doing at the moment is really nice. I think it’s an example for everyone.”

Ocon was also asked if he was looking forward to a more straightforward organization from team boss to team boss, a direct comparison to Renault and their control of the Alpine group. While Ocon did not comment on Renault, he said it was reassuring to see that Komatsu had the trust of owner Gene Haas and Haas Automation CEO Bob Murray.

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“Ayao has full power, which is great because obviously Gene and Bob really listen to him and really trust him.

“They really take into account all the instructions and all the discussions. They really trust whoever is involved with the organization and that is Ayao and, as I said, it works very well and I believe that when I talk to Ayao.”

Haas will be the fourth team of Ocon's career, having previously driven for Manor, Force India and Renault/Alpine.

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