Exclusive: Ocon signs F1 contract for 2025

Esteban Ocon has secured his future on the F1 grid beyond the end of the current season, RacingNews365 understands.

The French driver will leave Alpine at the conclusion of the ongoing campaign, bringing the curtain down on his five-year association with the Enstone-based squad.

Earlier this week, the Haas F1 squad confirmed it had signed Oliver Bearman to a multi-year contract from the start of next year.

RacingNews365 now understands that Bearman will be joined at Haas by Ocon in 2025.

The Frenchman has already signed a contract with Gene Haas' team, with the deal set to be officially announced before the summer break.

Ocon was told earlier this season that Alpine no longer wanted to continue their collaboration, yet it seemed Ocon himself had already been planning to leave the team.

In recent months, he held conversations with both Haas and Audi, but in the end, Ocon opted for the former option - likely because Audi is mainly focused on bringing Carlos Sainz on board. 

The Spaniard has still not made a decision, so instead of continuing to wait, Ocon has now made his own call regarding his future. 

Not only does Haas' upturn in performance in 2024 play a role in that decision, but also the fact that Ocon can work closely with Ayao Komatsu. The Japanese team principal has repeatedly expressed his interest in Ocon and he seems to have played a crucial role in the 27-year-old driver's decision. 

The deal is a multi-year contract, showing Ocon's confidence in the team in the long term. 

At Alpine, they hope to eventually bring in Sainz as Ocon's replacement, but the current Ferrari driver still has several options available. Should Sainz not choose to join Alpine, Jack Doohan seems to be best placed to take over from Ocon.

For now, both Haas and Ocon's management have not yet commented on RacingNews365's information regarding his signature.

The signing means that Kevin Magnussen will depart the squad at the end of the current season, marking an all-new line-up for Haas in 2025.

Nico Hulkenberg confirmed earlier this year he will leave Haas after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to join Stake F1 ahead of its transition to Audi in two years' time.