Here is a wild twist nobody saw coming: Ryo Hirakawa is finally getting his Formula 1 race start. After logging a series of Free Practice 1 appearances, Haas dropped the news on Saturday morning that the Japanese racer will step in to replace Esteban Ocon for the rest of the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend. It makes the now 32-year-old the oldest debutant in the sport since Andre Lotterer back in 2014, who was also 32 when he entered the Belgian Grand Prix for his sole F1 outing.
Before getting the call to the main team, Hirakawa built a serious resume across heavy machinery. His career started in Japanese karting before climbing into single-seaters in 2010. He dominated the Japanese Formula 3 Championship by winning his debut race and securing the 2012 title, which paved the way for a 2013 move to Super Formula under the Toyota Young Driver Program. Over nine years in that category, he racked up four wins and four pole positions, alongside a stellar run in Super GT's GT500 class between 2014 and 2021 that included the 2017 title.
Endurance racing brought even bigger triumphs. Hirakawa joined the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class in 2022 with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Success was immediate: he captured the Drivers' Championship in his rookie season alongside team mates Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley. The trio backed it up with another drivers' crown in 2023, alongside a second consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He continues in the series with the Toyota Racing team, who are currently leading the 2026 standings.
His path into the Formula 1 paddock started back in September 2023 when he joined the McLaren Driver Development programme as a reserve driver. That led to his maiden FP1 outing with the squad at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. A switch to Alpine followed for 2025 as a test and reserve driver, featuring an FP1 appearance at the Japanese Grand Prix before moving to Haas shortly afterward.
That transition unlocked four more practice sessions in 2025 and another two in 2026, setting the stage for Saturday's unexpected promotion. One day after taking over Ocon's car during FP1 in Mexico City, the team confirmed Hirakawa would take the seat for the rest of the weekend.
Now, the challenge turns to Sunday. Lotterer's lone F1 appearance a decade ago ended in immediate disaster when his Caterham suffered a mechanical issue just one lap in. Hirakawa qualified in 19th place for his maiden event, and he will undoubtedly be hunting for a much cleaner run when the lights go out in Mexico City.
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