Ocon and WEC star Hirakawa to drive for Haas in Abu Dhabi F1 check

Esteban Ocon will get his first style of Haas equipment within the end-of-season Formula 1 check in Abu Dhabi, and will probably be joined by Toyota World Endurance Championship driver Ryo Hirakawa.

Ocon was launched by Alpine forward of this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to make sure he may decide up his Haas duties early, and thus will probably be changed by Jack Doohan on the Anglo-French squad.

Haas was set to fulfil the younger driver element of the end-of-year check with the incoming Oliver Bearman, however the Briton was now not eligible having made three grand prix begins this time period as an alternative to each Carlos Sainz at Ferrari and Kevin Magnussen at Haas.

So, the American squad is leaning on its Toyota hyperlinks to trial Hirakawa, who has received two WEC Hypercar titles with the Japanese agency. Haas signed a technical tie-up with Toyota earlier this yr, and will probably be granted entry to the model’s Cologne services and numerous different areas of experience.

This transfer has additionally allowed Haas to start out its personal testing of earlier vehicles programme [TPC], which can permit Toyota to run a few of its personal drivers and provides its youthful engineers expertise of F1.

Hirakawa can even contest FP1 on Friday for McLaren instead of Oscar Piastri; the Japanese driver can be a part of McLaren’s driver growth programme, and has gathered expertise of F1 equipment with TPC operating throughout the tail finish of 2023 and into 2024.

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Ryo Hirakawa

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Arrow McLaren IndyCar racer Pato O’Ward will subsequently drive for McLaren within the end-of-season check, one thing he additionally did in 2023. 

Elsewhere, Williams is giving its allotted younger driver mileage to Luke Browning, who completed third on this yr’s Formula 3 championship having been in rivalry for the title.

The 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award winner presently drives for ART in Formula 2 after changing fellow Williams junior Zak O’Sullivan, and can get a style of the Williams FW46 alongside the incoming Carlos Sainz.