Esteban Ocon will be quickly replaced by Haas for the Mexico GP, with their new driver ready to make his F1 debut.
Just hours before qualifying at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Haas made a surprise change by replacing Esteban Ocon with Ryo Hirakawa, who will be making his Formula 1 debut.
Ocon, the French driver, had a smooth day on Friday, completing both practice sessions without any problems. But now, he won’t be racing for the rest of the weekend. Hirakawa, from Japan, who already took part in the first free practice session for Haas, will step in and join teammate Oliver Bearman. Haas had already confirmed that Ocon wouldn’t be driving for them in 2027, with Rafael Camara signed to take his place next season.
In a statement, Haas said: “Our reserve driver, Ryo Hirakawa, will take over from Esteban Ocon for the rest of this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix. Ryo drove in FP1 on Friday, finishing 15th overall. He’ll join Ollie Bearman for the final practice, qualifying on Saturday, and the 71-lap race on Sunday, marking his Formula 1 debut. We have no further comments at this time.”
Before this, Ocon and the team had a disagreement on the radio during the second practice session. Ocon wanted to run on soft tires, but the team switched him to medium tires instead. It’s not clear if this argument is connected to the decision to replace him.
Ryo Hirakawa is one of Japan’s top racing drivers, having won the World Endurance Championship in both 2022 and 2023. At 32 years old, he races for Toyota Gazoo Racing in WEC and was once part of McLaren’s driver academy. Thanks to Haas’s technical link with Toyota, he’s gotten free practice chances with the F1 team this year.
Even though it seemed like Hirakawa’s chance for a full-time F1 seat was over—since Haas is planning to bring in Ferrari junior Rafael Camara from 2027—he now gets an unexpected shot to race for the American team this weekend.
Ryo is feeling confident stepping into the car. After his Friday practice, he said the team’s car had definitely improved since the last time he drove it in Hungary: “It was really nice to feel the car has been improved since I last drove it in Budapest, so I’m really happy. This track is quite tough for the cars, but I felt a big step in performance. Hats off to the team. My main target was to do a proper long run. Though there was a yellow flag, I managed a clean long run on the medium tires. Everything went smoothly.”
When asked about his future, he said: “Right now, I’m just trying to do my best. I’m really thankful to the team—they gave me the car for FP1 despite some bad news about 2027. I appreciate their trust, and hopefully, there will be more chances ahead.”
His next time in the Haas car is coming sooner than he expected!