Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa scores point on F1 debut following Esteban Ocon ‘disagreement’
There was drama in the paddock for Banbury’s TGR Haas F1 Team at the Mexico City Grand Prix, as driver Esteban Ocon was stripped of his duties and replaced by reserve Ryo Hirakawa.
Already confirmed to be leaving at the end of the 2026 season and to be succeeded by new signing Rafael Camara, Ocon was involved in a disagreement with Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu after a Friday practice session.
Details of the altercation have not been shared, however a statement from Ocon confirmed “a difference in viewpoints”, all while categorically rejecting allegations of “physical violence” being used to resolve the situation.
Whatever happened in the Haas garage, it was deemed serious enough for the Banbury-based outfit to hand Ryo Hirakawa, who had driven in Free Practice 1 (FP1), the opportunity to take Ocon’s seat for the remainder of the weekend.
Making his unexpected F1 race debut, Hirakawa started 18th on the grid and came home in a respectable P13, taking advantage of a host of retirements, having driven a tidy 71-lap grand prix of his own.
There was then some brilliant news for Hirakawa and Haas several hours on as he was promoted to P10, clinching the final point following 10-second penalties being applied for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.
Piastri was punished for a collision which ended Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad’s race prematurely, whereas Colapinto and Gasly were penalised for failing to slow under yellow flags.
Hirakawa, 32, a two-time winner of the FIA World Endurance Championship and a one-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner with Toyota GAZOO Racing, is certainly not new to elite motorsport.
But it was an impressive F1 bow nonetheless, not least because the 2026 cars drive very differently to the previous iterations Hirakawa has had more practice in during TPCs.
At the time of writing, it remains to be seen whether Ocon will return to his Haas seat for the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix, on Sunday, November 8.
If Haas decide to progress without Ocon, one option could be to promote Camara early. But that may not be feasible, with the Brazilian eager to secure the Formula 2 Championship with two rounds to go in Qatar and Abu Dhabi.