The Haas Formula 1 team has made the shock decision to replace Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the remainder of the Mexico Grand Prix weekend. Hirakawa will act as Oliver Bearman’s team-mate for final practice, qualifying and Sunday’s race, having also taken Ocon’s VF-26 on Friday morning as part of the rookie mandate for FP1 sessions. Ocon returned for second practice, finishing 13th, but caused a stir following his spat with race engineer Laura Mueller over whether to stick to the soft tyres or switch to medium rubber.
A Haas statement read: “Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix.” Hirakawa’s F1 debut will come at the age of 32. He spent much of his career in Japan, becoming the 2017 Super GT champion, before moving to the World Endurance Championship. He has claimed two WEC titles with Toyota, alongside victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
For Ocon – who is set to be replaced by Camara – it marks a striking resemblance to how his Alpine stint ended in 2024. The 30-year-old Frenchman is likely to become Aston Martin’s reserve in 2027, Autosport understands.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing