P1racenews AI automatic summary:
This will be his second outing for Haas this season, having stood in for Ollie Bearman at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Haas has confirmed that Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon during FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend. This will be the Japanese driver’s second first practice run with the American team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as he previously replaced Ollie Bearman in Bahrain. Hirakawa also filled in for Jack Doohan at Suzuka before rejoining Haas for test and reserve opportunities. He is expected to participate in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi to meet the team’s rookie session requirement. Hirakawa’s connection to Toyota, a technical partner of Haas, strengthens his ties to the Banbury-based squad at the age of 31.
