Ryō Hirakawa snagged his first-ever F1 point in his debut race at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and if you think that sounds wild, you have no idea how it actually went down. What a finish! This was not your typical Sunday drive to the points, not by a long shot.
From Reserve to the Grid: An Unexpected Weekend
Think about being a reserve driver. You do your practice, you stay ready, but a race seat? That’s the dream. Hirakawa, a Haas reserve driver, started his Mexico City weekend just like that, taking part in FP1 on Thursday, fulfilling one of the team’s rookie session requirements. But then things got interesting. Veteran Esteban Ocon was suddenly sidelined. The team kept details super tight, saying only it wasn’t due to illness, which immediately makes you wonder what was going on. With Ocon out, Hirakawa was unexpectedly back in the VF-26 for FP3 and, unbelievably, for the rest of the entire weekend. He finished 18th in qualifying after being eliminated in Q1, so P18 was where he’d start the race.
Chaos, Penalties, and a Shocking P10
Starting from 18th on the grid, Hirakawa drove his race, crossing the finish line in P13. It wasn’t a bad run, especially considering he was the only Haas driver left standing after Oliver Bearman had to retire. What happened to Bearman? Nico Hülkenberg apparently just drove right into the back of Bearman’s VF-26 in the closing stages. But the real story for Hirakawa wasn’t even the race itself. After the checkered flag, a whole bunch of post-race penalties dropped. Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, and Franco Colapinto all got hit. And because of those penalties, they were all bumped down the final classification, which meant one thing for Hirakawa: he was promoted to P10! Seriously, how wild is that? From a P13 finish to getting a point in his F1 debut because of post-race chaos. You just can’t write this stuff.
The grid now heads straight to Brazil for next weekend’s São Paulo Grand Prix. The biggest question on everyone’s mind has to be: will Hirakawa be back in the car for another shot? After a debut like this, you’d think he’s earned it!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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