Haas confirms the change
Haas has confirmed Ryō Hirakawa for the rest of the Mexico weekend in place of Esteban Ocon. He will make his race debut on Sunday alongside Ollie Bearman.
Thirty laps before his programme changed
Hirakawa arrived in Mexico for a planned FP1 appearance, following outings in Austria and Hungary. Haas’s Friday report records 30 laps, running on hard and medium tyres and a 1:19.982 on the medium compound for 15th place. Ayao Komatsu highlighted the usefulness of his feedback after the car’s updates. APEX’s reading is that this running supplies a concrete starting point, although a Grand Prix places wider demands on a driver than a single practice hour does.
A first qualifying reference
Hirakawa is 19th in the provisional classification, with a 1:18.958 in Q1 and ten laps. For APEX, that is the first reference for his adaptation to an elimination-format Formula 1 session. Assessment of his debut will continue in the race, where tyre management, traffic and procedural execution will add to the picture supplied by a quick lap. One figure describes the qualifying result; the complete outing will add context about how he works with the team across a different programme.
Single-seater experience and two world titles
His Haas profile records second place in Super Formula in 2020, four wins and four pole positions across his time in the championship, plus the 2017 Super GT title. In endurance racing, Hirakawa won the 2022 WEC world title alongside Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, then defended it in 2023. Those reference points illustrate the range of his experience. They give context to an F1 race newcomer who already has a substantial background in international competition and in working with crews and engineers.
What to watch in Sunday’s debut
APEX analysis: adaptation can be followed through how Hirakawa turns feedback into set-up changes and maintains a coherent programme during the race. The start, communication with engineers and response to changing grip are useful markers alongside the result. These are questions for assessment after the Grand Prix, rather than conclusions about performance already achieved. His earlier experience supplies the foundation; the race will show how he applies it in this new setting.
