Ocon denies altercation rumours after Haas Mexico GP benching

Esteban Ocon issued a statement after Haas dropped him for the Mexico City Grand Prix, using it to reject reports that his absence was the result of a physical altercation with team principal Ayao Komatsu. Several outlets reported that Ocon specifically denied rumours of a confrontation between the pair.

Autosport reported that the speculation followed French media rumours and said Ocon’s benching was most likely linked to a public disagreement with his race engineer during free practice. That incident was then followed by a discussion with the team on Friday night.

Ocon’s response marked his first public comment since Haas made the Mexico decision. In it, he said he wanted to formally address the media reports and speculation surrounding the situation.