Ryo Hirakawa set to make F1 debut with Haas in Mexico City
Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa will line up for Haas at the Mexico City Grand Prix, marking his first appearance in a Formula 1 race.
Japanese racer Ryo Hirakawa will become the latest driver to make his Formula 1 debut, stepping into the Haas F1 Team’s car for the Mexico City Grand Prix on 29 October. The 27‑year‑old has spent the bulk of his career in Japanese Super Formula and the FIA World Endurance Championship, but a recent testing opportunity with Haas earned him a race seat for the weekend in Mexico City.
Career path to the top tier
Hirakawa began his single‑seater journey in the Japanese Formula 4 championship before moving up to Japanese Formula 3, where he captured a race win and finished fifth overall in 2014. He then graduated to Super Formula, Japan’s premier open‑wheel series, achieving a best finish of third place at Fuji Speedway in 2022 and consistently scoring points across multiple seasons. Parallel to his domestic commitments, Hirakawa has been a regular in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Toyota Gazoo Racing, earning podiums in the LMP2 class and gaining valuable experience in high‑speed, high‑downforce machinery.
In early 2024, Haas announced that Hirakawa would take part in a private test at the Bahrain International Circuit, where he impressed the team with consistent lap times and strong feedback on tyre performance. The test performance, combined with his proven adaptability across different racing disciplines, convinced Haas to grant him a race‑day seat for the Mexican round, making him the first Japanese driver to race for the American outfit.
What the debut means for Haas and the championship
Haas is currently battling in the midfield, and the team hopes Hirakawa’s fresh perspective and technical feedback will aid development of the 2024 car. While the team does not expect a points finish on debut, the experience gained by both driver and engineers could prove valuable in the remaining races. Hirakawa’s entry also adds another Asian face to the grid, joining the likes of Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) and Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), further expanding F1’s global appeal.
For Indian fans
The Mexico City Grand Prix will be broadcast live in India on FanCode, with the race starting at 02:00 IST on 29 October. Indian viewers can watch Hirakawa’s debut alongside the usual F1 action, and the race will also be streamed on the official F1 TV app for those with a subscription. As the season approaches its climax, the added storyline of a new debutant adds extra intrigue for fans following the championship battle.
Source: Formula1.com