Ryō Hirakawa’s long road to F1 took one final, unexpected turn on Saturday morning at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the 2026 Mexico City GP. Haas confirmed that its reserve driver would replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the weekend. The decision handed the Japanese driver his F1 race debut.
Hirakawa went on to qualify 19th and will line up alongside teammate Oliver Bearman for Sunday’s 71-lap race. Speaking to the media after qualifying, the 32-year-old explained how his day unfolded. He also shared what he hopes to achieve on his debut.
A phone call instead of a morning run
Hirakawa revealed that the news arrived just as he was about to start his usual morning routine. He said, “I always go for a run [in the] morning and almost went for it, but I had a phone call.”
With little time to spare, Hirakawa headed straight to the circuit. Describing a hurried build-up, he said, “I just tried to come here as soon as possible, just park and take a shower, and just talk to the engineers about what I can do for [qualifying].”
He added that the team prioritised Saturday’s session before turning its attention to the race. “I think we optimised for [qualifying], and then let’s see what we can do for tomorrow,” he said.
Hirakawa did not step into the VF-26 completely cold. He drove Ocon’s car in FP1 on Friday. He believes that outing made a real difference. Asked whether the lack of time to think had helped him, he said, “I think it’s hard to say, but anyway I drove in FP1, so the experience helped a lot. I was not starting from zero in FP3.”
Traffic costs Hirakawa in Q1
In his first F1 qualifying session at the 2026 Mexico City GP, Hirakawa’s final Q1 lap looked promising. He set personal best times in the first and third sectors. However, the lap slipped away in the second sector, and he missed out on a place in Q2. The gap to Ollie Bearman was 0.9s, although in reality it was not that big.
He explained that traffic through the high-speed section compromised his car. “I had traffic from Turn 6, and also [the] high-speed sections, so I lost a lot of downforce,” he said.
Although he was clearly disappointed to fall short of Q2, Hirakawa kept the result in perspective.
“It’s nice to be here, so I can’t complain much.”
Tyre management also proved tricky. In the conditions at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, any sliding earlier in the lap was punished in the low-speed final sector.
“As soon as you slide, you feel the price in sector 3, so you need to push, but at the same time you need to manage a bit,” he explained.
Hirakawa ready for F1 Mexico GP 2026 debut
With his first Grand Prix start now only hours away, Hirakawa has kept his goals simple. Describing what a good Sunday would look like, he said, “Good start, first corner, a lot of new things, so just execute and do my best.”
Hirakawa has had little opportunity to rehearse race procedures, but he practised pit box stops and starts during the weekend.
“It’s going to be different in the race circumstances, but I think I should be ready for it,” he admitted.
When asked about next weekend regarding WEC, when he has a title decider on his schedule, Hirakawa insisted that nothing beyond Sunday has been discussed.
“I just focus [on] tomorrow, nothing [discussed] for next week, and just let’s see what we can do for tomorrow,” he said.
Oldest F1 debutant since Lotterer
Hirakawa’s debut also carries historical significance. His start at the 2026 Mexico City GP will make the 32-year-old the oldest F1 debutant since André Lotterer at Spa in 2014.
His path to the grid has been long and varied. Hirakawa won the 2017 Super GT title in Japan. He then stepped up to the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing. There, he won the Hypercar drivers’ title in 2022 and 2023. He also won the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans. He later served as a reserve driver for McLaren and Alpine before joining Haas in 2025.
Reflecting on finally getting his chance, Hirakawa said, “I’m just very happy for it, I’ve always been ready for it, finally I can perform for tomorrow, so yeah, I’m excited for that.”
