10/03/2025
NEWS STORY
This season will be MoneyGram Haas F1 Team's tenth in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, and it enters 2025 with a new driver line-up. Esteban Ocon (28) and Oliver Bearman (19) will race for MoneyGram Haas F1 Team this season, blending race-winning experience with youth.
Ocon has contested 156 grands prix, scoring 445 points, and has one career victory to his name, achieved at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Ocon has scored a further three Formula 1 podiums, most recently at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Ferrari Driver Academy member Bearman is entering his first full season in Formula 1, having contested three grands prix as a stand-in driver in 2024, scoring seventh on his debut in Saudi Arabia with Scuderia Ferrari, prior to races with MoneyGram Haas F1 Team in Azerbaijan and Sao Paulo.
Ocon and Bearman combined during pre-season testing to complete 2473.28 kilometers (1536.89 miles) in the VF-25 at the Bahrain International Circuit, accruing valuable data and understanding of the new package, with attention now turning to the first round of the campaign.
Australia will open Formula 1's season for a 23rd time, and for the first time since 2019, marking the start of a record-equaling 24-event schedule - the same number, and roster of events, as in 2024. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team will again contest three grands prix on home soil in the United States, in Miami (May 4), Austin (October 19) and Las Vegas (November 22), while there will once more be six F1 Sprint events, at which a short-distance race is held on Saturdays.
The Albert Park Street Circuit, which first featured on Formula 1's calendar in 1996, takes drivers through the leafy parkland a short distance from downtown Melbourne. Its temporary nature means the circuit has high track evolution, while there is an abundance of high-speed curves, with several turns having been reprofiled in 2022 to create faster cornering speeds. Gravel traps and barriers lurk close to the circuit edge, with the threat of a Safety Car period - or race suspension - never too far away.
Ocon has contested five grands prix in Australia, taking a best result of seventh place in 2022, while Bearman has prior experience of Albert Park from FIA Formula 2, in 2023 and 2024. MoneyGram Haas F1 Team made its world championship debut at Albert Park in 2016, finishing its maiden grand prix in sixth position.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal: "I'm really looking forward to being back in Melbourne. Historically, we've had some good memories from there - okay some bad ones too - but in terms of performance, and Melbourne being the very first race for the team and getting that P6, it's a fantastic memory. It's a very challenging track as essentially it's a street track with low-grip, and difficult overtaking. It's a challenging circuit for the driver, the car and the team. From things we saw at testing, there's a lot to be positive about and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in Melbourne. If we put everything together, which we need to do, and get the best out of the car and the driver, we can be fighting."
Ollie Bearman: "It's certainly been a long off-season so I'm happy to finally get to Melbourne and get started with the season, I can't wait to see what it holds. The circuit is great, it goes around a lake which is pretty unique and impressive, and it has beautiful scenery with the backdrop of the city close by. The track is unique, it has a lot of crowns in the road, so for us drivers it makes our lives a bit more difficult and it's really the only track where we face this type of challenge. I'm most looking forward to sharing my theoretical debut with my family and loved ones. I experienced the Melbourne walk last year in Formula 2 and it was fantastic to see the support of the crowd and I think having that in F1 will be even more impressive and I can't wait to meet them and hopefully put on a good performance for them."
Esteban Ocon: "It's good to see Australia back as the first race on the calendar. It was always the season-opener when I was watching Formula 1, so we're back and with Haas for the first time, it will be special. There's always a lot of support for us, especially at the Melbourne Walk as we head into the paddock, it's crazy to see the enthusiasm of everyone and how Melbourne turns into an F1 city during race week. Albert Park is an incredible track, one that's become faster throughout the years with the new layout and tarmac. It's a big challenge for teams and drivers to build the car right, knowing how fast the corners are. Getting used to the time zone as well, we have our routine for that coming into the week and I'm looking forward to seeing how the VF-25 will perform for the first time, it's exciting."