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2h ago

Haas Pulls Esteban Ocon From Mexico GP; Ryo Hirakawa To Race

The sudden, team-led switch raises questions about internal relations and Ocon’s short-term future.

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Con un registro de 1:18.652, Colapinto buscó afinar la puesta a punto de su Alpine a una vuelta de cara a la sesión de clasificación.
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Overview

  • Haas announced Saturday that reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon for FP3, qualifying and Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix.
  • The FIA authorized the one-event substitution and assigned Hirakawa car number 50 while requiring him to use the engine and tyre allocations originally set for Ocon.
  • Ryo Hirakawa, 32, will make his official Formula 1 race debut after already driving FP1 for Haas and brings two WEC titles and a 24 Hours of Le Mans win to the seat.
  • Haas said the change was not due to illness and declined further comment; several outlets have linked the move to a Friday radio dispute between Ocon and engineer Laura Mueller but that connection remains unconfirmed.
  • The swap comes after Haas confirmed Rafael Câmara for 2027, leaves Ocon’s immediate status unclear, and the FIA approval is limited to the Mexico weekend with no word yet on who will race in Brazil.