By Janina Nuno Rios
MEXICO CITY, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu vehemently dismissed reports that excessive salary demands from Oliver Bearman’s camp were holding up the British driver’s contract extension, accusing those spreading the claims of inventing stories to generate clicks.
Bearman’s future with US-owned Haas has been in the spotlight after the Formula One team confirmed Brazilian Rafael Camara would replace Esteban Ocon for 2027 but stopped short of announcing a new deal for the 21-year-old, whose contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
Some reports have suggested Bearman is seeking an annual salary of six million euros but Komatsu reacted angrily when the figure was put to him.
“I have no idea where that comes from. Honestly. I’ve experienced this sometimes this season as well. Some people say there’s no smoke without fire, but really, some people invent the story,” Komatsu told reporters on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
“I don’t know who smoked up this six million euro number… I have no comment to make because it’s just not even close to the truth. It’s amazing these days that people don’t check the source. Okay, I want to get some more clicks, so they cut and paste those stories and keep running with it.”
Both parties want to extend but have declined to say what is holding up an announcement.
“I don’t think I can go into the details of what’s the hold-up, but it’s very clear from both parties, from Ollie’s side and our side they want to continue working together,” he said.
“We’re trying to find a solution to work together next year, and I’m sure we will.”
Bearman returns to Mexico with fond memories after finishing fourth at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last year, matching Haas’s best-ever result in Formula One.
Komatsu spoke highly of the Ferrari-backed Briton’s progress since his rookie season.
“I just see a huge maturity and growth in his leadership capability, and he’s only 21 years old. That is really impressive,” Komatsu said.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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