Haas F1 team boss furious about Esteban Ocon stories online: "F****** hell, is that journalism?"

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has supported Esteban Ocon's stance on rumours linking the Frenchman to an early exit from the Formula 1 team, and wanted to set the record straight by denouncing the story as "utter s****". 

Rumours picked up traction on social media suggesting that Komatsu and Ocon had staged an argument after the Miami Grand Prix, with this being reported across a handful of smaller outlets. These outlets suggested that Ocon was due to lose his seat as a result.

However, Ocon confirmed earlier in Thursday's Montreal media sessions that the story of a bust-up was "bullshit", and that he had sought reassurance from the team as a result.

Addressing the media later in the day, Komatsu hit out at the rumours and echoed Ocon's assessment - and was forthright in his views that the story was nonsense.

"I honestly don't know where the story came from," Komatsu said. "I don't know if this journalist was quoted, but I have no idea. No foundation whatsoever. Absolute bullshit.

"So, if somebody wants to write that kind of bullshit, feel free, but fucking hell, is that journalism? I have no idea. It's terrible.

"What are they trying to achieve? It's crazy. No foundation whatsoever. I don't know, has any of you heard me saying anything like that? It's incredible.

"I spoke to him this morning, but for me there's nothing to defend from our side whatsoever. It's incredible. Part of it is that apparently I had some issue with Esteban in Miami, right?

Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images

"Where's that come from? I didn't even have a single argument with Esteban in Miami. It's just amazing how completely this bullshit gets smoked up.

"And then, because nobody checks the source, then everybody just lies on top of it. How is that journalism? It's just fucking bullshit gossip."

Komatsu called the situation a "waste of time", adding that it simply caused unnecessary grief for Ocon's camp, and theorised that wilful ignorance had been created by mistranslations. He became aware of the rumours through a Japanese website, which suggested that Komatsu was keen on hiring Yuki Tsunoda. Other stories suggested that Jack Doohan was being primed for a promotion from his reserve role.

He explained that he and Ocon had discussed the emergence of the stories, and thought it best to clarify the situation publicly.

"A complete waste of time. Esteban gets worried, the manager gets worried. But Esteban knows that we haven't had any argument in Miami, at least a specific thing," Komatsu said.

"So this morning we were just smiling and talking about what the fuck is that about? So I said I'm going to just completely clarify this to everyone, because it's absolute, utter shite. Total bullshit.

"But it's just something we don't need. And then I think it gets written in Japanese. Somebody sent it to me, this Japanese article.

Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

"This journalist was quoted. But I haven't actually read what this journalist wrote. So Japanese translation, how inaccurate is it? I have no idea. And also lots of Japanese sites, they really want to create shit about I like to take Yuki or something. That's got zero foundation so I don't take any notice.

"But then some French journalist picks it up. It's like fucking hell, if you're a French journalist, what are you trying to do to your country's driver, by picking up stories like trying to get some traction? Are you trying to put your French driver down? It's like, what is the purpose?

"It's just bullshit. I don't know, if you write some story, you check your source, don't you? Honestly, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a journalist, I wanted to be an investigative journalist. 

"So when I read things [like this] it's like 'fucking hell, are you not embarrassed about what you're writing?' And then by writing bullshit like this with no foundation, you lose credibility.

"Any media that runs that kind of bullshit story loses credibility. In my mind anyway. It's not even like twisting my words, there's zero facts. It's nothing to do with what I said, because I didn't say any of that. It's incredible."