TGR Haas F1 Team has replaced Esteban Ocon with reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa for the remainder of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
The team announced the change on 31 October, after Hirakawa drove Ocon's VF-26 in the opening practice session on Friday and Ocon returned to the car for second practice. Haas said Hirakawa will contest final practice, qualifying and Sunday's 71-lap race alongside Ollie Bearman, giving the 32-year-old Japanese driver his Formula 1 race debut.
The FIA published a driver-change decision and revised entry list for the event on the same date. Those official records establish that the substitution has been approved rather than remaining a team plan awaiting sporting clearance.
Haas gave no reason for withdrawing Ocon and said it would make no further statement at this time. MRI has therefore not attributed the decision to health, performance, contractual disagreement or any reported exchange between Ocon and team personnel. None of those explanations has been confirmed by the team in its announcement.
The move is distinct from Haas's 30 September confirmation that Ocon will leave after the 2026 season. That earlier announcement described an end-of-season separation and said the parties remained focused on the remaining races. The Mexico change is a new operational decision affecting the current championship weekend; Haas has not said whether Hirakawa will keep the seat at later rounds or whether Ocon's planned departure date has changed.
Hirakawa has served as a Haas reserve driver since 2025 and had completed three FP1 appearances in the VF-26 by the Mexico weekend. His wider record includes two FIA World Endurance Championship titles and victory at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota GAZOO Racing. Those credentials provide context for the team's choice but do not establish its undisclosed reason for making the change.
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