Racing
© Jonathan Borba
Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon in Haas’s VF-26 for Free Practice 1 at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 26, giving the team its first mandatory rookie-session run of the 2026 Formula 1 season at a time when it is chasing answers after two difficult weekends.
The Japanese reserve driver is set for his first official F1 session of 2026 and his first run in the VF-26. Hirakawa already handled four FP1 appearances for Haas in 2025 as the team worked through its rookie-driver obligations, but this outing carries extra weight because Haas wants fresh feedback on its current car as it tries to regain the consistency it showed earlier in the year.
Ayao Komatsu, Haas team principal, said the decision is as much about learning as it is about meeting the regulations. “We’re going to get Ryo in the car for FP1 in Austria, so it’ll be good to get his feedback as he hasn’t driven the VF-26 yet,” Komatsu said. He added that Haas needs to recover the level that brought points in four of its first five race weekends after frustrations in the past two events.
Hirakawa arrives at the Red Bull Ring after finishing third at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota’s No. 8 crew alongside Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, a result Komatsu highlighted while describing him as “a key part of our TPC program again this season.”
Hirakawa said the circuit should help him get up to speed quickly in a session that lasts only 60 minutes. “Firstly, I’d like to thank Toyota Gazoo Racing and TGR Haas F1 Team for this opportunity,” he said. “It’s going to be my first FP1 session of the season, and it’s been awhile since I’ve driven around the Red Bull Ring. I think it’s the perfect track for me to drive the VF-26 for the first time because it has everything - straight lines as well as low- and high-speed corners, so it’s going to be a fun experience.”
He said the short session leaves little margin for a slow start. “The aim is to get used to the car as fast as possible and to collect as much data so I can support the team in the best way I can.”
The timing matters for Haas. The team sits seventh in the Constructors’ Championship on 21 points, 10 clear of Williams but 41 behind Alpine, and is heading into a busy stretch that Komatsu believes can shape its season. Austria and Great Britain form the next double-header, part of a run of four races in five weekends, and Haas sees that sequence as a chance to improve its operations and deepen its understanding of the VF-26 in a fight to stabilize its points-scoring form.