The Haas F1 Team has made the unexpected decision to replace Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the remainder of the weekend at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Hirakawa joins Oliver Bearman as a teammate for the final practice session, qualifying, and Sunday’s race, after debuting with the VF-26 in Friday’s practice session.
In the second practice session, Ocon finished in 13th position, but his conflicting behavior with race engineer Laura Mueller sparked controversy, generating debate over the tire strategy to be followed.
A statement from Haas read: “Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon during the weekend of the Mexican City Grand Prix. Hirakawa participated in FP1, finishing in 15th position, and will collaborate with Bearman in the final practice and the 71-lap race.”
Additionally, the statement emphasized that the decision was not made for health reasons, without providing further details on the circumstances of the replacement.
Hirakawa, who is making his Formula 1 debut at 32 years old, has an impressive resume, including the 2017 Super GT championship title and two wins in the World Endurance Championship with Toyota.
With his addition to Haas, the Japanese driver has positioned himself as a strong candidate for a spot in Formula 1 starting in 2027 after completing seven practice sessions throughout the season.
On the other hand, Ocon, who is expected to be replaced by Rafael Camara, finds himself in a situation similar to what he faced in 2024 with Alpine, when he was replaced by Jack Doohan in the final race of that year.
This new change highlights the difficulty for the French driver to find stability since his arrival at Haas in 2025, where he has been consistently outperformed by Bearman.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
