Hirakawa chases F1 seat through Haas and Toyota

Oct 25, 2025 | Formula 1

From test driver to race seat

Ryo Hirakawa is working as a test and reserve driver at Haas this season. He is under the care of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Toyota is using the partnership with Haas to develop its drivers and engineers. Hirakawa hopes his role at Haas will lead to a permanent Formula 1 seat.

What experience does Hirakawa already have?

Hirakawa is 31 years old. Before joining Haas, he started the year at Alpine. He drove Friday practice sessions in Japan for Alpine. Immediately after, he drove the first free practice for Haas in Bahrain the following week.

This year, he was also in action during FP1 in Spain and in Mexico. He also tested through the year with a 2023 car. During a test at Zandvoort, he was involved in a crash. According to him, a technical problem played a role.

Sporting background

Hirakawa is no stranger to motorsport. He is world champion in the World Endurance Championship and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Toyota. Earlier, he was successful in Japanese championships such as Super GT and Super Formula.

What are his chances of getting a seat?

Haas already has two drivers under contract for next season: Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. Those contracts are multi-year. That makes immediate space scarce.

The intention is for Hirakawa to stay with the team next year as well. That means a real chance of a full season is earlier in 2027. He would then turn 33. A debut at that age would make him one of the older newcomers to F1.

How can he still break through?

• Consistently good performance in free practice and testing.
• Continued development as per Haas and Toyota programme.
• Support from Toyota as partnership expands.
• Availability of a seat at Haas or another race stable.

What does the team say?

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu stresses that the team is working closely with Hirakawa. There is a programme for this year and next. Komatsu calls him professional and understands that he understands the bigger picture. The team wants to see how he develops further.

Advantage of F1 work for other classes

Hirakawa says working in Formula 1 improves his performance in the WEC. Small adjustments and details found in F1 also help improve the WEC car. He feels progress in his driving and in the team approach.

Conclusion

Hirakawa is taking clear steps towards a possible F1 seat. However, the route is not easy. He needs to keep performing and wait for the right opportunity. Toyota and Haas offer him opportunities. Whether those opportunities lead to a permanent racing spot will depend on performance, timing and additional opportunities within the team.

Vandoorne unexpectedly returns to Peugeot in 2026

Oct 25, 2025 | Formula 1

What happened

Stoffel Vandoorne will stay with Peugeot for the 2026 WEC season after all. A proposed move to Genesis Magma Racing fell through at the last minute. The break had mainly to do with disagreements over commitments in Formula E.

Why the Genesis deal broke down

Vandoorne had indicated he did not want to end his career in Formula E. He does not have a permanent seat for the upcoming FE season, but was recently announced as a reserve driver at Jaguar. That caused friction with Genesis.

Team principal Cyril Abiteboul did not want drivers who combine work between WEC and Formula E, citing concerns about possible calendar conflicts in 2027 and the extra testing burden caused by the arrival of the Gen4 cars. As a result, the deal fell through after all.

Why Peugeot was suddenly looking for an extra driver

Peugeot initially stood with an almost complete line-up for 2026. Nick Cassidy and Théo Pourchaire were confirmed as replacements for Mikkel Jensen and the departing Vandoorne. Paul di Resta, Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Jean-Éric Vergne also seemed to be fixed.

After the race in Fuji, Vergne reported that he wants to drive WEC less full-time next year. He wants to make room for his work in Formula E and for development around Peugeot's 2027 project. Stellantis gave him that space. This unexpectedly created a spot in the line-up.

New young drivers at Peugeot, but not immediately before 2026

At the rookie test on 9 November, the Peugeot 9X8 will be assigned two new drivers in addition to the previously announced Nick Cassidy. They are Mathias Beche and Briton Alex Quinn. Beche has Le Mans experience and Quinn stood out in LMP2 since 2023. However, they are not expected to drive the 9X8 immediately during the full 2026 season.

Why Vandoorne is a good fit

There is no quarrel between Vandoorne and Peugeot. Both sides suddenly needed each other. Peugeot was missing a driver. Vandoorne was without a regular spot after the failed Genesis switch.

So they decided to work together again. Vandoorne will drive for Peugeot in the 9X8 in 2026. This will be his third consecutive season with the team.

Impact on the remaining races

The late change does not change the starting line-up for the upcoming Bahrain 8 Hours. In the #94 9X8, Pourchaire still takes Vandoorne's place. The #93 will be driven by Mikkel Jensen, Paul di Resta and Jean-Éric Vergne.

Summary of the situation

• Vandoorne stays at Peugeot in 2026 after deal with Genesis goes awry.
• Genesis did not want drivers combining WEC and Formula E.
• Vergne reduced his effort, leaving Peugeot in need of an extra driver.
• New young drivers get tests, but do not immediately seem part of the full 2026 line-up.

verstappen warns red bull struggles with race pace

Oct 25, 2025 | Formula 1

Fast qualifying lap, weak long runs

Max Verstappen was fastest during the short runs in FP2. His time was faster than Charles Leclerc's. That gives hope for qualifying. But the long runs went badly.

On the soft tyre, Verstappen did one good lap. After that, he had little grip. Especially with full tanks, lap times were far below expectations. He spoke of a big problem for the race.

What Verstappen said exactly

He felt no obvious balancing error. The car seemed fine tuned for one fast lap. On sustained runs, the tyres got too hot. As a result, grip disappeared. Verstappen stated briefly: on those runs, they were almost nowhere.

Team works on tyre temperature

The team thinks it is mainly about tyre temperature. The challenge is to find the right combination of core and surface temperatures. This is needed to achieve one fast lap without overheating the tyres in the race.

The technical staff said the focus tonight is on high fuel runs. They are not satisfied with degradation and tyre thermal control. They are trying to improve that situation before the race.

Piastri not too dissatisfied

Oscar Piastri finished 12th with a messy low fuel run. He found his lap on soft tyres average. He tried different things and now wants more consistent performance more than anything else.

Piastri is still at the top of the championship. Verstappen is back in the title race after his win in the US, but is 40 points behind. So every lap lost could weigh heavily.

Key points

• Red Bull has strong short-lap times, especially with Max.
• Long-race space is problematic due to lack of grip and overheated tyres.
• The team focuses on controlling core and surface temperatures of tyres.
• Piastri had a messy session, but remains optimistic and wants more consistency.

Red Bull must find overnight adjustments before the race. Without improvement, winning on Sunday is difficult, even if qualifying speed looks promising.

tyres make difference verstappen and mclaren in mexico

Oct 25, 2025 | Formula 1

Brief overview

The first free practice session in Mexico played out on a very dirty, low-grip track. That made the session difficult to interpret. Verstappen was lightning fast in the qualifying simulation. On the long runs, he struggled. The McLarens drove strongly on the long runs, but they used a softer tyre than Red Bull. As a result, direct comparisons are difficult.

What the times show

These are the averages of the long runs on Friday:

• Lando Norris - 1:21.806 (9 laps) - C4 soft
• George Russell - 1:22.402 (7 laps) - C3 medium
• Oscar Piastri - 1:22.476 (10 laps) - C4 soft
• Kimi Antonelli - 1:22.647 (11 laps) - C3 medium
• Max Verstappen - 1:22.821 (10 laps) - C3 medium
• Lewis Hamilton - 1:22.847 (6 laps) - C3 medium
• Charles Leclerc - 1:22.879 (11 laps) - C3 medium

Main conclusions

The low grip seems to highlight the strength of the C4 soft tyre. McLaren benefited from this on the long runs. That may give the impression that McLaren is objectively faster. But much of the difference comes from tyre choice.

Oscar Piastri again struggled to keep pace with teammate Norris. He called his loose fast lap on softs pretty average and wants to work on consistency tomorrow. Piastri does not see this as a continuation of his problems in Austin.

Norris missed FP1 because Pato O'Ward was driving the car in that session. Still, his long-run pace was strong. He reported finding the car's limit quickly, but also said the balance was very variable over a single lap.

Where Verstappen benefits

The difference in front-end grip between Red Bull and the competition was striking. Especially in the slow-moving corner combination of turns 4-5, Verstappen has a clear advantage. He can turn in earlier and maintains grip at a fainter approach angle. That quickly costs the others a few tenths per lap.

Leclerc closely follows Verstappen on the timesheet, but also loses mostly in that same corner combination. Ferrari seems to drive with a higher engine setting at times. This helps on straights and when testing planks wear and brake cooling. In addition, Ferrari's maximum wing position seems slightly lower than that of Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes, which also gives straightaway pace.

Mercedes and other teams

Mercedes came out well on the slow corners. Kimi Antonelli set a qualifying lap between Leclerc and Norris. Still, both Russell and Antonelli were not satisfied with the long runs. Verstappen and the Ferrari drivers also complained of lack of grip.

Some of those complaints can be explained by the fact that the medium C3 did not work as well on the dirty, hot track this weekend. Teams will continue to adjust balance settings. In Mexico, the temperature and grip changes very quickly due to the thin air. As a result, car balance and inter-relationships can suddenly flip.

What to expect

Considering tyre preferences and changing balance, there is likely to be more clarity tomorrow. Expect shifting ratios. Small adjustments to the set-up could have big consequences here.

• Verstappen strong on one lap, less so on long run.
• McLaren fast at long range thanks to soft tyre.
• Mercedes good out of corners, but dissatisfied with long runs.
• Ferrari shows straight-line pace possible due to engine mode and lower wing.