Ryō Hirakawa has been categorised tenth on his Method 1 debut on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix, after three post-race penalties handed the Haas stand-in some extent he didn’t know he had scored when he spoke to media after the race.
The Japanese reserve driver changed Esteban Ocon from remaining apply onwards, after Haas made the shock determination to face the Frenchman down mid-weekend. The workforce has not defined the change, saying solely that it was not as a consequence of sickness. Hirakawa had already pushed Ocon’s automobile in first apply on Friday as a part of F1’s rookie requirement.
He crossed the road thirteenth. Each Alpine drivers have been then penalised for failing to sluggish underneath yellow flags. Pierre Gasly’s stop-and-go penalty for ignoring double waved yellows was transformed right into a 30-second time penalty, dropping him from tenth to seventeenth. Franco Colapinto acquired a 10-second penalty for failing to sluggish underneath single waved yellows, dropping him from eighth to fifteenth. Oscar Piastri was additionally given a 10-second penalty for a conflict with Arvid Lindblad, falling out of the factors from seventh.
That promoted Liam Lawson, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, with Hirakawa finishing the highest 10.
Talking earlier than these selections, Hirakawa stated he intentionally held again early within the race, eager to keep away from contact and ensure he completed.
“I feel it was good. Perhaps initially I used to be a bit bit overwhelming with the others. Perhaps I had a superb begin, however I actually didn’t wish to make any contact as a result of I wished to complete [all] our laps,” he stated.
“This made me a bit dangerous positioning, however then after that I used to be staying behind automobiles and making an attempt to study. Perhaps initially I used to be a bit bit sluggish in comparison with the others, however I saved making an attempt to study from them, staying behind. Then I feel after perhaps mid to finish of the race I had extra confidence.
“Particularly on the finish, I handed two automobiles after the [safety] automobile restart.”
The race featured two standing begins. Hirakawa stated the long term to Flip 1 on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez made the opening laps particularly difficult.
“Yeah, I imply, I’ve nothing to match with, however going to Flip 1 is so lengthy. You consider lots of braking factors, the automobiles left and proper, entrance and rear. It was actually difficult, however I managed effectively.”
Ryō Hirakawa insists he “was all the time prepared” for the decision as much as a race seat
He additionally described how troublesome overtaking was with the 2026 automobiles, explaining that he needed to look ahead to the automobile forward to lose its overtake mode earlier than he might assault.
“I don’t know how you can examine to the opposite observe, however even when you have an overtake, you will have a pace threshold, so it’s troublesome to make a superb transfer, particularly when you find yourself in [a] prepare,” he stated. “So if the automobile in entrance loses the overtake, then you may make a transfer. So I used to be all the time ready for that second.”
Hirakawa insisted he had been prepared for the decision, regardless of its quick discover.
“I used to be all the time prepared for it, as a result of the rationale why I’m right here is to be prepared for it,” he stated. “However after I heard the information I used to be a little bit of shaking, however quickly after I did my job.”
The Le Mans winner stated the bodily calls for of 71 laps have been no drawback, and that he had acquired a flood of messages from Toyota, together with from chairman Akio Toyoda.
“I had lots of messages, particularly the large boss, Morizo-san, had massive messages. All of them supported,” he stated.
At that time, Hirakawa didn’t know whether or not he would race once more in Brazil, or {that a} level was on its method.
“I don’t know but. In the mean time I simply have to take pleasure in this second.”
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