Haas drops Esteban Ocon for Mexico F1 GP

October 31, 2026 5 Min Read

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The Haas Formula 1 team has made the shock decision to replace Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the remainder of the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.

Hirakawa will be Oliver Bearman’s teammate 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 the FP1 sessions.

Ocon returned for second practice, finishing 13th, but caused a stir after his argument with race engineer Laura Mueller over whether to stick to soft tires or switch to medium tires.

A statement from Haas read: “Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the Mexico Grand Prix weekend.

“Ryo competed in FP1 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday, his third free practice outing of the season behind the wheel of the VF-26, finishing 15th overall.

“The Japanese driver will partner teammate Ollie Bearman in final practice and qualifying for the 71-lap Grand Prix on Saturday and Sunday, marking Ryo’s Formula 1 debut.

“No further statements will be made at this time.”

Although Haas later added: “No comment beyond the statement other than to confirm this is not due to illness.”

Ryo Hirakawa, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Hirakawa will make his F1 debut at the age of 32. He spent much of his career in Japan, becoming 2017 Super GT champion, before moving to the World Endurance Championship.

He won two WEC titles with Toyota, as well as a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and this relationship with the Japanese brand saw him join Haas as a reserve driver in 2025.

This is because Toyota and Haas formed a technical partnership, leading to him competing in seven free practice sessions and becoming a contender for an F1 seat in 2027 – only to lose out to Rafael Camara.

For Ocon – who should be replaced by Camara – this bears a striking resemblance to how his time at Alpine ended in 2024, as he was replaced by his successor Jack Doohan for the Abu Dhabi final.

The 30-year-old Frenchman is likely to become Aston Martin’s reserve in 2027, according to Motorsport.com, after a disappointing spell since joining Haas in 2025. – being comfortably beaten by Bearman.