Haas has confirmed Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon during FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
The Japanese driver will get his second first practice run out with the American team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having deputised for Ollie Bearman in Bahrain.
That came the week after Hirakawa stood in for Jack Doohan in the weekend-opening session at Suzuka, before promptly leaving Alpine early the following week to rejoin Haas, where he enjoyed test and reserve opportunities last season.
The 31-year-old is expected to also compete in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi later this year, which will satisfy the team's four rookie sessions requirement.
Hirakawa has strong links to the Banbury-based squad due to his ties to Toyota, which is a technical partner of the team.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on Monaco and look ahead to the Spanish Grand Prix! The new mandatory two-stop rule is a major talking point, as is Lando Norris' bounce back and the technical directive for Barcelona.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!