Haas drops Ocon after tyre row with engineer LAURA MUELLER

October 31, 2026

• LAURA MUELLER, Haas race engineer, was at the center of a tyre-choice dispute with Esteban Ocon during Friday second practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
• MUELLER informed Ocon that the team was switching from soft to medium compound tyres — Ocon pushed back on team radio, refusing the instruction.
• The tyre row escalated into a broader team fallout, with Ocon subsequently dropped for the Mexico race weekend after an alleged confrontation with team principal Ayao Komatsu.
• MUELLER’s call highlights the critical role women engineers play at the top level of F1, making real-time strategic decisions under intense pressure.

autódromo hermanos rodríguez, formula 1, haas f1 team, mexico city grand prix