French driver Esteban Ocon hit out on Thursday at “fabricated” stories about a rift with his Haas Formula One team.
Rumours have spread since this month’s Miami Grand Prix suggesting Ocon had fallen out with his team boss Ayao Komatsu.
There has been chatter online about Ocon possibly being replaced before the end of the season, with British teammate Oliver Bearman scoring 17 points to his one after four races and two sprints.
“The stories have been fabricated with no foundation. There were no real sources in there. I’ve joined this team because of Ayao, because I’ve known him for so long,” Ocon said at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“There was no dispute in Miami, but when I read the article that kicked it all off, they call him Ryo Komatsu. So as soon as I read that I stopped reading.”
Ocon, 29, said the speculation had still had an impact on him and his family and was “almost like bullying”.
“At the end of the day, I’m human, so when it escalates so much and when there is so much going on, it affects my sponsors, my family, it affects everyone that is around me,” he said.
“It’s not normal that you can fabricate stories like this and just get away with not having any problems for yourself. You can’t just lie about things. I’ve never faced that in F1 before.”
Haas are sixth in the standings, five points behind Ocon’s previous team, Alpine.
Reuters
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