Esteban Ocon has denied reports of a physical altercation taking place between himself and Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu before he was dropped, without explanation, from the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Ocon -- who is already confirmed to be leaving Haas at the end of 2026 -- took part in Friday practice, but on Saturday morning Haas confirmed reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, 32, will take part in the rest of the weekend.
Hirakawa, who was in Ocon's car in first practice on Friday, is with Haas as part of its technical partnership with Toyota and will now make his Formula 1 debut on Sunday.
Haas did not elaborate on the decision when contacted by ESPN. A team spokesperson would say only that the late replacement was not due to illness.
The team's statement did not give any further details, and the team said it would not be providing any at this time.
Ocon's relationship with Haas has deteriorated in recent months.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN that a heated discussion took place between Ocon and Komatsu on Friday evening.
After French publication L'Equipe published a report on Saturday suggesting the altercation had then turned violent, Ocon posted to Instagram to refute any suggestion of any escalation.
"I wish to formally address some media reports and speculation surrounding the situation," Ocon said. "Last night, a difference in viewpoints led to a discussion with the parties involved. Whilst I acknowledge that this took place, I categorically reject any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature.
"I strongly condemn violence in all its forms and firmly believe that disagreements should always be handled with professionalism, respect and mutual understanding. I kindly ask that speculation be avoided while the matter is being addressed."
While the statement did not confirm what will happen beyond this weekend, sources with knowledge of the situation have told ESPN that Ocon's tenure with Haas is over.
Tension could be heard in Ocon's radio messages with race engineer Laura Mueller during second practice on Friday.
Ocon, who had already given over the first hour of running to Hirakawa, sounded unhappy with a change to the run plan, one made in response to data from teammate Oliver Bearman's car.
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Their exchange went as follows:
Mueller: "We've swapped the high fuel run to medium [tyre] because Ollie's [tyre] appearance is not great."
Ocon: "Still doing soft [tyre], right?"
Mueller: "No, we have to do medium."
Ocon: "No, no, I wanted the soft, like, don't do that to me. Come on."
Ocon: "It is my turn this weekend. Come on."
While not an explosive exchange, it underlines a tense relationship and a fair amount of mistrust that has grown over recent months.
Ocon was already having to come to terms with the potential end of his F1 career. Haas has confirmed it will replace him with Ferrari junior Rafa Camara next season.