Haas drops Ocon in shock Mexico GP switch, hands F1 debut to Hirakawa

Haas has pulled Esteban Ocon out of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend with no explanation, handing his VF-26 to reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for final practice, qualifying and Sunday's 71-lap race. The team confirmed the change in a brief statement and said only that it was not related to illness, declining to elaborate further.

Why it matters:

Ocon had just completed Friday's second practice and looked set to see out the weekend. Removing a driver mid-event is almost unheard of in modern F1, and it lands on a driver already confirmed to be leaving Haas at the end of the season. For Hirakawa, it is a first grand prix start, delivered with barely any notice.

The details:

• Hirakawa, 32, ran Ocon's car in Friday's FP1 to satisfy one of Haas's mandatory rookie sessions and finished 15th.
• He has now made seven FP1 appearances for the team and was in the frame for a 2027 seat before Haas opted for Rafael Camara.
• His reputation was built outside F1: the 2017 Super GT title, two WEC crowns and a Le Mans 24 Hours win with Toyota, whose technical partnership with Haas opened the door to his reserve role in 2025.
• The timing leaves him one practice session before qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
• There are uncomfortable echoes for Ocon of his Alpine exit, when Jack Doohan replaced him for the 2024 finale in Abu Dhabi.

What's next:

Haas says no further statements will be made, so the reason behind the switch may stay unanswered through Sunday. Hirakawa gets an immediate audition with little to lose, while Ocon — linked to a reserve role at Aston Martin — leaves Mexico with his Haas tenure effectively finished.