Ocon denies reports of physical altercation behind dropping

Esteban Ocon, the 30-year-old French driver, has firmly denied reports that his exclusion from the Haas team for the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix was due to a physical altercation. In a statement on social media, Ocon revealed that a disagreement in perspectives sparked a conversation with those involved. He unequivocally dismissed any claims or accusations of violent resolution to their discord.

The initial report by L'Equipe in France suggested a heated meeting between Ocon and team principal Ayao Komatsu, potentially culminating in a physical confrontation. The decision to sideline Ocon from the remainder of the Mexico weekend weekend followed a disagreement over tyre choice during the second practice session on Friday.

Team engineer Laura Mueller informed him that the plans for using the soft-compound tyre had shifted to the medium compound. Ocon adamantly responded, "No, no. I want to do soft... don't do that to me, come on."

Haas has not released additional information regarding the events following Ocon's session. As of now, the team has only acknowledged that he has been dropped for the weekend's race. Earlier this month, Haas had announced Ocon's departure from the team at the end of the season, with Rafael Camara, the current F2 champion and Ferrari driver development program member, set to replace him.

Ocon's statement on Saturday emphasized his disapproval of all forms of violence, asserting that disagreements should be resolved professionally, with respect, and mutual understanding. He asked that speculation be refrained from until the matter was fully addressed, promising further updates as the situation unfolds.