Loading
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu launched an extraordinary, expletive-laden broadside at the media in Canada, tearing into the "absolute bullshit" rumours that had circulated between the Miami and Canadian Grands Prix suggesting he was looking to replace Esteban Ocon with Yuki Tsunoda.
The story — attributed in part to a Brazilian journalist and later picked up and translated across multiple languages and markets — alleged that Komatsu and Ocon had fallen out during the Miami weekend, with Tsunoda identified as a potential successor to the French driver. Ocon had already labelled the claims as "fabricated" before Komatsu addressed the media himself, and what followed was one of the most candid and colourful press exchanges in recent paddock memory.
"I honestly don't know where that story came from, no idea," Komatsu told assembled media. "This Brazilian journalist was quoted, but I have no idea, there is no foundation whatsoever, it is absolute bullshit. So if somebody wants to write that kind of bullshit, feel free, but fucking hell, is that journalism? I have no idea, it is terrible, what they're trying to achieve is crazy, there is no foundation whatsoever."
Komatsu was categorical that no argument had taken place between himself and Ocon at Miami — a claim at the very heart of the rumour — and expressed bewilderment at how such a narrative had gained traction.
"It says apparently that I had some kind of issue with Esteban in Miami, but where has that come from? I didn't have a single argument with Esteban in Miami. It is just amazing how this bullshit gets smoked up, and then because nobody checks the source, everybody lies on top of it. How is that a journalist? It is just fucking bullshit gossip."
He added that when he and Ocon had spoken about the reports, they had done so with disbelief rather than tension. "Esteban knows that we haven't had an argument in Miami, and we were smiling when we talked about it, like: 'What the fuck is that about?'"
What made the saga particularly aggravating for Komatsu was the way the original report — whose accuracy he said he could not even verify — mutated as it spread across different media ecosystems. Japanese outlets ran with the Tsunoda angle, and French journalists subsequently picked up the story as well, drawing a pointed rebuke from the team principal.
"Then some French journalists pick it up, and it is like: 'Fucking hell, you are a French journalist, so what are you trying to do to your country's driver by picking up that story to get traction? Are you trying to put your French driver down? Like, what is the purpose?'"
The intensity of his reaction was in part driven by the real-world distress the story had caused, with both Ocon and his management left unsettled by speculation that had no factual basis.
"It is a complete waste of time. Esteban gets worried, his manager gets worried... so I said I can completely clarify this to everyone, because it is absolute utter shite, total bullshit, but it is just something we don't need."
On the broader question of journalistic standards, Komatsu — who revealed he had once aspired to be an investigative journalist himself — was unsparing. "By writing bullshit like this with no foundation, you lose credibility. Any media that runs that kind of bullshit story loses credibility in my mind, and it is not even twisting my words; there are zero facts and nothing to do with what I said, because I didn't say any of that."
When conversation turned to the more legitimate question of Haas's driver plans for 2027, Komatsu was measured and evasive in equal measure — acutely aware that any answer could be stripped of context and weaponised in a fresh round of speculation.
"Around now — May, June, July time — I think everybody is looking at next year's drivers, it is not just us, but everyone," he said.
When pushed on what he would choose to do if forced to decide immediately, Komatsu shut the question down with sharp self-awareness: "I think a question like this is going to create some shit, right? Because people will take my words and say: 'Oh, if you're going to decide if you are going to continue with Esteban or not continue with Esteban,' they will take it completely out of context, so I am not going to answer that question."
The backdrop to all of this is a Haas team focused on performance rather than politics. As covered ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Komatsu had arrived in Montreal with an upgrade package and renewed ambition for points following a scoreless Miami outing — a stark contrast to the off-track noise now consuming the team's media duties.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.