Hirakawa reflects on points finish on F1 debut in Mexico City
Ryō Hirakawa scored a point on his Formula 1 debut in Mexico City, finishing tenth in a race he only knew he would start on Saturday morning.
The Haas reserve had been due to drive first practice on Friday. Haas then announced abruptly that he would replace Esteban Ocon for the rest of the weekend, without explaining the change. He qualified 19th and started his first Grand Prix from there.
The opening lap was the first test. "There were a lot of things to do, especially the start and lap one," Hirakawa said. "It was not easy. Going to Turn 1 is so long and you think about a lot of braking points, the cars side by side, the front, rear."
He chose to play it safe. "I think at the start, I took too much margin because I really wanted to finish the race, because I want to learn what it is," Hirakawa said. "But after that, I was trying to learn from the others, what they are doing."
The early running was difficult. "Maybe the first stint was really tough. I didn't have the pace, but I learned a lot," he said. His confidence grew after the Safety Car. "After the Safety Car, with the C5, I had more confidence," Hirakawa said. "Then after the Safety Car, the very last stint, I had much more confidence than the past two stints."
He crossed the line 13th. Three post-race penalties for Oscar Piastri, Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly promoted him to tenth, 25.373 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen. That gave him one championship point. It also gave Haas a point after Oliver Bearman retired following contact with Nico Hulkenberg.
Hirakawa was pleased with the way he finished. "I'm happy to finish like that," he said.
He called the day the realisation of a long-held ambition. "I think I just need to face this moment," Hirakawa said. "I'm really happy today. It was my dream. So let's just enjoy this moment and let's see what we can do."
What comes next is unclear. Hirakawa is in contention to win the World Endurance Championship at Monza this weekend, and Haas has yet to confirm who will race for the team in Brazil. The next Grand Prix is São Paulo on 8 November.
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