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Esteban Ocon: Haas replace French driver with Ryo Hirakawa for remainder of Mexico City GP weekend

Haas has removed Esteban Ocon from the rest of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend without giving a reason.

By , Editor

· 2 min read

Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon (file photo) Photo: Rrtb505050 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Haas has replaced Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the rest of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. The team confirmed Ocon was not ill but did not explain the change.

Key takeaways

  • Esteban Ocon will take no further part in the Mexico City GP weekend.
  • Ryo Hirakawa will drive for Haas for the remainder of the weekend.
  • Haas provided no reason for replacing Ocon.
  • Ocon finished 13th in FP2, one position ahead of Oliver Bearman.
  • Hirakawa completed 30 laps and finished 15th in FP1.

Haas has withdrawn Esteban Ocon from the remainder of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend and replaced him with reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa, Sky Sports reported. The change was announced on Saturday 31 October 2026 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The team provided no reason for replacing Ocon, but confirmed the Frenchman was not suffering from illness. Ocon will take no further part in the race as Hirakawa will take his place on the grid.

Friday practice

774 and finishing 13th, according to Grande Prêmio. He was one position ahead of teammate Oliver Bearman. Hirakawa had earlier completed 30 laps in FP1 and finished 15th. Ocon subsequently completed his qualifying simulations and longer runs.

In its official Friday practice report, Haas confirmed that Ocon had completed his programme and was working with the engineers to improve the car before Saturday.

Driver background

Ryō Hirakawa is a Japanese racing driver who is currently competing for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He was Super GT GT500 champion in 2017, and finished runner-up in Super Formula in 2020.

He has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar class since 2022, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his debut season and the championship title in 2022 and 2023 alongside co-drivers Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley.

Hirakawa is also signed to Haas F1 Team as a reserve driver for the 2025 Formula One season. He made his Formula One debut at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix for Haas.

The Mexico City Grand Prix

The 2021 edition was the 18th round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship and marked the 21st edition of the Mexican Grand Prix, which was run under the name Mexico City Grand Prix for the first time.

The 2025 edition was held on 26 October 2025 and was the twentieth round of the 2025 Formula One World Championship. McLaren driver Lando Norris converted pole position into a win, giving his team their first victory in Mexico since 1989.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen rounded out the podium.

What happens next

Ryō Hirakawa will take Ocon's place on the grid at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the remainder of the weekend, Sky Sports reported.

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