Ryo Hirakawa had a remarkable Formula 1 debut at the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on November 1. The Japanese driver scored his first F1 championship point after post-race penalties for both Alpine drivers promoted the Haas newcomer to 10th place in Mexico.
Hirakawa qualified in 18th place and originally crossed the finish line in 13th place.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri received a 10-second time penalty post-race for causing a collision with Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad on Lap 58, shifting Hirakawa up to 12th in the provisional classification.
The Mexican Grand Prix results changed further after the FIA handed separate penalties to Alpine’s Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly for failing to slow sufficiently under single and double waved yellow flags, respectively.
Colapinto was handed a 10-second time penalty, dropping him from P8 to P15. Meanwhile, Gasly received a stop-and-go penalty (converted to a 30-second time penalty) and fell from P10 to P17.
These three penalties turned out to be a huge gain for Hirakawa as he was lifted into 10th and scored one championship point for Haas.
Ryo Hirakawa’s F1 Debut Was Unexpected
The top-10 finish marked a significant milestone for Hirakawa. The 32-year-old received an unexpected opportunity to make his F1 race debut with Haas after the team replaced regular driver Esteban Ocon ahead of Saturday’s running.
Ryo Hirakawa had initially been scheduled to participate only in Friday’s FP1. However, he was subsequently called up to replace Ocon, leaving him with limited preparation time ahead of his first qualifying and Grand Prix.
Despite the circumstances, the Japanese driver kept his composure throughout the 71-lap race and gradually gained confidence as the afternoon progressed.
In a video shared by @haasf1team on Instagram, Ryo Hirakawa thanked the team for the opportunity and made his feelings known about the F1 debut.
“Thanks everyone for the support,” the Hiroshima-born driver said. “My first debut in Formula 1, it was a lot to learn. But yeah, I think I finished on a high, overtaking two cars after safety cars.
“So I’m really happy to finish like that. I also appreciate the support from everyone. So thanks so much. I’m enjoying this moment. Thank you.”
Ryo Hirakawa Says His Goal Was Just To Finish the Race
The Haas driver admitted that the opening lap was particularly challenging, given the number of cars around him and the difficult braking conditions into Turn 1.
“There were a lot of things to do today, especially around the start and lap one — It was not easy, especially here going into Turn 1,” Hirakawa said about his experience before the post-race penalties were confirmed.
“You’re thinking about braking points, and you’ve got cars all around you, so I think I took too much margin because my focus was to finish the race as I wanted to learn.
“After that, I was trying to learn from what others were doing, and maybe the first stint was tough, but I learned a lot.”
It was a dream come true for him, as Hirakawa said he “needs to digest this moment” of racing in a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
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- Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly Apologize As Yellow-Flag Penalties Cost Alpine Eight Points
- Charles Leclerc Defends His Turn 4 Move On Teammate That Cost Ferrari Mexico GP Victory
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