'Dream come true' – Hirakawa details late Haas call-up for Mexico City GP ahead of F1 debut

Ryo Hirakawa has reflected on his late call-up to race for Haas at the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Japanese driver describing the chance to make his Formula 1 debut as a "dream come true".

Hirakawa was called up by Haas just hours before Qualifying on Saturday in Mexico to replace regular driver Esteban Ocon, with the team offering no further comment on the reasons for the switch.

Hirakawa had already competed in Free Practice 1 on Friday for the American team in his role as reserve driver and to comply with the regulations, citing that every full-time racer must make way for a rookie twice in the season.

Hirakawa's outing on Friday was his ninth appearance in an FP1 session after previous running for Haas, Alpine and McLaren since 2024, but he will make his first Grand Prix start on Sunday after qualifying in P19.

"Obviously was a very big surprise this morning but I'm always here to be a reserve driver," said Hirakawa when asked about the details for the call-up, having also driven in FP3.

"This is a role for myself, I was ready but always dreaming about it. Today, dream come true. Qualifying today, race tomorrow.

"Just these 12 hours passed so fast, have so much to prepare and the team helped a lot for myself. Really thanks to the team."

A driver for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), Hirakawa is a two-time champion in the category, as well as winning the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Hirakawa is also in contention to win the WEC next weekend at Monza, with any decision about who will race for Haas in Brazil next weekend yet to be confirmed.

Despite not knowing if this might be his only F1 outing, the 32-year-old was excited by the prospect to compete in his first Grand Prix.

"For [the] race, lots to prepare to be honest," he added. "But today was [the] main focus to go through Q1, which was a shame for me, I had traffic in the last push lap.

"It was very [much a] shame but everything went well and I just need to focus for tomorrow on the race. Very excited for that."