Esteban Ocon lifts lid on private Lewis Hamilton chat after Haas F1 axe

Esteban Ocon has revealed that Lewis Hamilton spoke to him during the United States Grand Prix weekend following the loss of his Formula 1 drive for 2027. 

Haas confirmed last month that Ocon would leave the team at the end of the current season, before announcing the signing of Ferrari protege and Formula 2 championship leader Rafael Camara as the 30-year-old Frenchman’s replacement. 

Ocon is determined to remain in F1 and is seeking a reserve driver role if he cannot secure a full-time seat. 

A clip went viral on social media after last weekend’s race in Austin appearing to show Hamilton approaching Ocon and asking him about his future. 

It was difficult to make out exactly what was said in the video but Ocon has confirmed that the seven-time world champion offered him sympathy regarding his situation. 

Ocon praised the classy move from Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix. 

"Yeah, Lewis came to me in Austin. We chatted a little bit about the situation and how things went,” Ocon explained to media in Mexico City. 

When asked if ‘it was nice’ that Hamilton had made the effort, Ocon replied: “For sure. Yeah, definitely.”

Ocon said that Hamilton and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll are the only two drivers to have reached out to him since his Haas departure was confirmed. 

The 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner has already ruled out racing in another category if he fails to land an F1 seat for 2027. 

Hamilton also offered his thoughts about Ocon's looming exit from the F1 grid in Mexico. 

“I think he's one of the nicest guys here," the Ferrari driver said. 

"I could guess that it's probably not been easy over the years but I think he remains positive. It's sad to see him leave because I think he's a very, very talented driver.”