Haas drop Ocon mid-Mexico GP amid reports of an argument
Ryo Hirakawa will take his seat from final practice through the race. The team ruled out illness but did not explain the reason for the switch.
Esteban Ocon went from preparing for qualifying to being out of the Grand Prix. On Saturday, October 31, Haas stood him down for the rest of the weekend in Mexico and handed his car to Japan's Ryo Hirakawa, who will contest his first Formula 1 race.
The announcement came amid reports of an internal argument on Friday night. Posters bearing the Frenchman's face were also reported to have been taken down. Those signs have fueled doubts about his relationship with the team, although Haas has not confirmed that an argument triggered the decision.
The tense moment on the radio
Ocon did have a tense exchange during second practice. His engineer, Laura Mueller, told him of a change in the program to run medium tires, when he wanted to run the softs.
“No, no. I wanted the soft. Don't do this to me.”
“No, no. I wanted the soft. Don't do this to me,” he replied over the radio. The Frenchman finished that session 13th, ahead of teammate Oliver Bearman in 14th.
The surprise grows when you read the recap the team itself published on Friday: Ocon talked about making changes overnight to prepare for final practice and qualifying. Hours later, his weekend was over.
What Haas said
A Haas spokesperson ruled out illness as the reason for the substitution. The official statement announced the replacement without explaining why and closed with one line: “No further comment will be made at this time.”
Hirakawa, 32, had already driven the car in first practice on Friday, finishing 15th. He will partner Bearman for the rest of the event. He arrives with plenty of endurance experience: he won Le Mans in 2022 and was World Endurance champion in 2022 and 2023 with Toyota.
An exit already announced
For Ocon, the blow comes when his departure was already scheduled. Haas announced on September 30 that they would part ways at the end of 2026 and later confirmed Brazil's Rafael Câmara for 2027. What's new is that the Frenchman won't complete the Mexican weekend either.
Hirakawa is preparing for his first F1 race. For Ocon, the next question is already Brazil: Haas has yet to clarify who will take his seat after Mexico.
Sources: Haas F1 Team: resumen de las prácticas del GP de la Ciudad de México · RACER: Haas to run Hirakawa in Mexico despite Camara signing
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