Esteban Ocon has revealed the surprising “shock” he felt when he sampled the Ferrari engine for the first time upon his maiden outing with Haas.

The French driver, who ended his long-standing association with Alpine to join the American squad for 2025, is adjusting to a host of changes – including the unfamiliar Ferrari power unit.

After years of working with Mercedes and Renault powertrains, Ocon experienced the Ferrari engine for the first time in the post-season test at Abu Dhabi, driving Haas’ 2024-spec VF-24.

Despite his initial surprise, the Frenchman has since adapted to the new system and now sees plenty of positives in the Italian power unit.

Initial Shock, But Plenty of Positives

Reflecting on his first run with the Ferrari engine, Ocon admitted that it took him by surprise.

“It was a bit of a shock initially in Abu Dhabi, but on track, performance-wise, it’s working super well and it fits very well with the strength of the car as well. So, yeah, all good on that side,” he said during pre-season testing in Bahrain, quoted by Motorsport Week.

The change from Mercedes and Renault powertrains to the Ferrari engine demanded a shift in how Ocon approached the car’s systems and controls. However, he was quick to acknowledge that there were positives despite the steep learning curve.

“Yeah, of course there are differences,” Ocon said during pre-season testing in Bahrain. “I’m not going to comment about the differences itself, but there’s a lot of positives with the Ferrari power units and initially it’s a very different way of using all the systems.

“But we’ve simplified a lot and it now feels a lot more common to how I would have imagined to use it.”

Adapting to a New Powertrain

Ocon is not the only driver adapting to a new power unit in 2025. Carlos Sainz, who moved from Ferrari to Williams over the winter, also highlighted the challenges posed by switching engine manufacturers.

He revealed that getting used to the Mercedes power unit has been the biggest change so far.

“Definitely the thing you feel the most when you change teams, the moment there’s a power unit involved, it’s the power unit,” Sainz explained.

“The noises, the vibrations, the sound, everything just changes completely. So even if I went out on the pitch trying to understand the aerodynamics and the tyres and the feeling of the mechanical sides of the car, the only thing I could have to adapt for the first few laps was just how different a power unit can be.

“So yeah, that’s probably the biggest change.

“Also the way the power unit operates in terms of switches, especially nowadays in Formula 1 with so much going on on our steering wheels, with the deployment, the battery, things like this, procedures, safety procedures of the engine and the power unit, it’s definitely the biggest change that I’m having to adapt so far in Williams.”

Moving Forward with Haas

For Ocon, the challenge lies not just in mastering the Ferrari engine but also in maximizing its potential to complement Haas’ chassis strengths.

As the team kicks off it 2025 campaign this week in Melbourne, Ocon remains optimistic that the new powertrain will prove to be a strong asset once fully integrated with the car’s dynamics.

With his initial shock behind him, the French driver is confident that he and Haas are moving in the right direction as they continue to adapt to the new setup.