Japanese Haas reserve driver who replaced Esteban Ocon for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix and finished 10th on his F1 race debut.
Ryo Hirakawa at Haas: Stand-In for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix
Ryo Hirakawa is Haas's Japanese reserve driver. Haas put him in Esteban Ocon's car for the rest of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend after Friday practice, without giving a reason beyond saying Ocon was not ill. Hirakawa qualified 18th and was classified 10th, scoring 1 point on his Formula 1 race debut. As of 2 November 2026, Haas has not said who will drive the car at the São Paulo Grand Prix.
He is not a typical rookie. At 32, he arrived in F1 as a Le Mans winner and two-time World Endurance Champion with Toyota, Haas's technical partner.
Ryo Hirakawa: Fast Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| 2026 role | Haas F1 Team reserve driver. Race stand-in for Esteban Ocon at the Mexico City GP |
| Car number (Mexico City) | 50 |
| 2026 teammate (Mexico City) | Oliver Bearman |
| Date of birth | 7 March 1994 |
| Birthplace | Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Age | 32 |
| Other programme | Toyota Gazoo Racing, FIA World Endurance Championship |
Ryo Hirakawa F1 Career Stats (as of 2 November 2026)
- **Grands Prix:** 1 (Mexico City 2026)
- **Wins:** 0
- **Podiums:** 0
- **Best finish:** 10th (Mexico City 2026)
- **Points:** 1
- **Team:** Haas F1 Team
His Mexico City Grand Prix Weekend, Session by Session
| Session | What happened |
|---|---|
| FP1 (Friday) | Drove Ocon's car in practice, his third FP1 of 2026 for Haas. Finished the session 15th |
| FP2 (Friday) | Ocon back in the car |
| After FP2 | Haas announced Hirakawa would replace Ocon for FP3, qualifying and the race |
| Qualifying (Saturday) | 18th, out in Q1 with a 1:18.958. Bearman qualified 14th |
| Race (Sunday) | Finished all 71 laps. Classified 10th after post-race penalties for Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly, who had finished ahead of him on the road. 1 point |
His point mattered for Haas: Bearman retired after 47 laps, so Hirakawa scored the team's only point of the weekend. Full results are on our [Mexico City Grand Prix page](/f1/mexico-city-grand-prix).
Why Haas Replaced Esteban Ocon
Haas has not given a reason. Its statement said the change was not because of illness and that "no further statements will be made at this time."
What has been reported:
- ESPN reported, citing sources, a heated discussion between Ocon and team principal Ayao Komatsu on Friday evening.
- Some reports said the argument turned physical. Ocon rejected that on Instagram: he acknowledged a heated exchange but denied any violence.
- Ocon was already due to leave Haas at the end of 2026. Haas has named Ferrari junior Rafael Câmara for 2027.
More on Ocon's season is on his [driver profile](/drivers/esteban-ocon).
Will Hirakawa Race at the São Paulo Grand Prix?
Not confirmed. As of 2 November 2026, Haas has not announced its line-up for the [São Paulo Grand Prix](/f1/sao-paulo-grand-prix) on 8 November, and Komatsu has said the team was not looking beyond Mexico. Reports say Hirakawa's Toyota commitments in the World Endurance Championship clash with that weekend. Several outlets have named other candidates, but none of that is official. We will update this page when Haas confirms.
Ryo Hirakawa Career Timeline
Racing in Japan
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Hirakawa came up through Japanese karting and junior single-seaters. He won the Japanese Formula 3 Championship in 2012. In Super GT he won the GT500 title in 2017 with TOM'S. In Super Formula, Japan's top single-seater series, he finished runner-up in 2020 and has won four races.
Toyota, Le Mans and the WEC (2022 to present)
Toyota moved him into its Hypercar line-up in 2022, sharing the No. 8 car with Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley. In his first season the trio won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the drivers' world title. They defended the title in 2023. He still races for Toyota in the WEC.
The Road to an F1 Seat (2024 to 2026)
He was McLaren's reserve driver in 2024 and made his first official F1 practice appearance at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He started 2025 as Alpine's test and reserve driver, with an FP1 run at his home race in Japan, then moved to Haas in April 2025 as the team built its technical partnership with Toyota. He has done practice sessions for Haas in 2025 and 2026, which led to his race debut in Mexico City.
Key Career Milestones
| Year | Event | Team | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Japanese Formula 3 Championship | Champion | |
| 2017 | Super GT, GT500 class | TOM'S | Champion |
| 2020 | Super Formula | Runner-up | |
| 2022 | 24 Hours of Le Mans | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Winner |
| 2022 | FIA WEC, Hypercar drivers | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Champion |
| 2023 | FIA WEC, Hypercar drivers | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Champion |
| 2024 | Abu Dhabi GP, FP1 | McLaren | First official F1 session |
| 2026 | Mexico City GP | Haas | Race debut, 10th, 1 point |
Where He Fits at Haas
| Driver | 2026 role |
|---|---|
| [Oliver Bearman](/drivers/oliver-bearman) | Race driver |
| [Esteban Ocon](/drivers/esteban-ocon) | Race driver. Replaced for the Mexico City GP; status for later races not announced |
| Ryo Hirakawa | Reserve driver. Raced in Mexico City |
See the [Haas team page](/teams/haas) for the full 2026 picture.
Who replaced Esteban Ocon at Haas?
Ryo Hirakawa, Haas's Japanese reserve driver, replaced Ocon for qualifying and the race at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Why was Ocon replaced at the Mexico City Grand Prix?
Haas has not said. It confirmed only that Ocon was not ill. ESPN reported a heated discussion between Ocon and Ayao Komatsu; Ocon has denied that any violence took place.
How did Ryo Hirakawa do on his F1 debut?
He qualified 18th and was classified 10th after post-race penalties to three drivers, scoring 1 point. It was Haas's only point of the weekend.
Is Ryo Hirakawa a full-time F1 driver now?
No. He is Haas's reserve driver. Haas named him for the Mexico City weekend only and had not announced plans for later races as of 2 November 2026.
How old is Ryo Hirakawa?
He was born on 7 March 1994, so he is 32.
Has Ryo Hirakawa won Le Mans?
Yes. He won the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota, sharing the No. 8 car with Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley.
How We Researched This Page
- **Official:** formula1.com (Haas announcement, Mexico City GP qualifying and race results), checked 2 November 2026.
- **Media:** ESPN (team statement, Ocon's response), RacingNews365 (career background).
- **Reference:** Wikipedia, cross-checked against the sources above. Where sources disagreed (name spelling, age), we used the Formula 1 and Haas versions.
- Reports about Haas's São Paulo line-up are treated as unconfirmed until the team announces it.
- **Photo:** Ryo Hirakawa at the 2024 6 Hours of Fuji, by Morio, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.