Haas is leaving no room for uncertainty within the rules of engagement between its Formula 1 drivers this year in a bid to minimise the risk of on-track trouble.
The squad has an all-new line-up this season with Esteban Ocon joining from Alpine alongside rookie Ollie Bearman.
It is an exciting pairing, but one that has prompted intrigue about how it will play out.
Ocon has not been afraid to get elbows out against team-mates in the past, and Bearman is out to show he deserves a long future in F1.
Both are hard racers, but Ocon’s tough approach to team-mates has sometimes put him in hot water.
At Force India in 2017, he and then team-mate Sergio Perez were given team orders to prevent them racing each other after a run of collisions that season, while last year at Alpine Ocon faced criticism after a crash with Pierre Gasly in Monaco.
His then-team boss Bruno Famin threatened ‘consequences’ for what happened, and soon after it was confirmed he'd be splitting with the team at the end of the season - though his actual exit came even sooner, with Jack Doohan replacing him for Abu Dhabi.
Ocon’s no-compromise behaviour is something that has hung over him throughout his time in F1, but he has never been ashamed of how robust he is – because it is a trait that served him well as he climbed through the ranks.
With his family having sold their house to help fund his early karting days, Ocon knew that if he wanted to pay his parents back with success then he could not be a pushover.
Speaking to GP Racing magazine last year, Ocon said: “Maybe I’m too straightforward at times, but well… I’m not going to let anything go after I’ve worked so hard to get where I am. I don’t want to get eaten alive by anyone, be it some team manager, team principal, or a world champion.”
While going up against a fast and hungry rookie like Bearman will have its challenges and inevitably trigger some close racing moments, there is a sense that Ocon views the Haas challenge as a different opportunity for himself than he has had in the past.
He has a chance to build a team around him, and he is in an environment where he is both wanted and has the security of a long-term contract.
And while some other team bosses had some reservations about Ocon’s clashes in the past – with Williams having brought up the topic in early discussions it had with him last year even though it would never have been a deal breaker if things had progressed – Haas has a different attitude.
Team boss Ayao Komatsu is well aware of these Ocon storylines, but he sees no need to worry about potential for headaches down the road.
However, he says it is important that racing guidelines between his drivers - both on multi-year deals with Haas - are laid out in a transparent fashion before the first race so everybody knows what is expected of them.
“The rules of engagement have to be totally clear from day one,” said Komatsu. “So that will be clarified before the first race. I don't expect any team-mate contact and a DNF because of that.”
But while wanting to lay down rules, Komatsu says that he is not against his drivers being robust in fighting each other - as happened at last year's Austrian Grand Prix when previous Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg battled hard for points.
“You have to race hard,” he said. “Look at last year with Kevin – he is a hard racer.
“The closest we came to an issue [with Hulkenberg] was in Austria – but that was partly because we did not operate in a perfect manner in terms of pitstop timings.
“We didn't help ourselves. So as a team, we shouldn't be creating that mess. But also it is about understanding each other as a team-mate, and the rules of engagement, so they are perfectly clear.”
Past troubles
Haas is no stranger to having to deal with tensions between team-mates.
Its early line-up of Magnussen and Romain Grosjean had some bruising encounters – which included the 2019 British Grand Prix when the pair collided on the opening lap in an incident that would ultimately force them both to retire soon after.
But Haas’s troubles probably peaked during 2021 when Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher regularly failed to see eye-to-eye.
There were a number of public disagreements over a run of incidents that included eyebrow-raising defensive moves from Mazepin in the Azerbaijan and Dutch Grands Prix.
Reflecting on that challenging time with two rookies, Komatsu said that Haas was in a totally different space compared to now.
“I don't think Nikita and Mick is any example to go by,” he smiled. “If you have to go back to that combination, basically I'm in trouble!
“If you look at how we operated last year, how we can improve the team, what we did good last year, what we could have improved last year, and then take that learning for this year, it’s a completely different era in terms of dynamics and drivers.”
Komatsu is convinced that Ocon and Bearman are good enough and have the attitude needed to avoid any flashpoints.
“Honestly, with Esteban and Ollie, they are two very, very good drivers,” he said. “They have both got a lot more to prove. I think we have got a very good combination and I'm really looking forward to it.”
