Formula 1 Mexican GP
Haas drops Esteban Ocon for F1 Mexico GP
The Frenchman will be replaced by Haas reserve Ryo Hirakawa for the remainder of the Mexican weekend
Ed Hardy
Published: Oct 31, 2026, 2:52 PM
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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
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.
“Ryo participated in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday, his third free practice outing of the season driving the VF-26, finishing 15th overall.
“The Japanese driver will partner team-mate Ollie Bearman through final practice and qualifying on Saturday and Sunday’s 71-lap grand prix – marking Ryo's Formula 1 race debut.
“No further statements will be made at this time.”
Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
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, and that relationship with the Japanese marque earned him a move to Haas as its reserve driver in 2025.
That came as the result of Toyota and Haas forming a technical partnership, leading to him contesting seven FP1 sessions and being a contender for a 2027 F1 seat - only to lose out to Rafael Camara.
For Ocon – who is set to be replaced by Camara – it marks a striking resemblance to how his Alpine stint ended in 2024, as he was replaced by successor Jack Doohan for the Abu Dhabi finale.
The 30-year-old Frenchman is likely to become Aston Martin’s reserve in 2027, Motorsport.com understands, after a disappointing time since joining Haas in 2025 – comfortably being beaten by Bearman.
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