Haas F1 Reserve Driver Crashes During Test at Zandvoort
Ryo Hirakawa walked away from a scary moment at Zandvoort on Monday when he lost control of the Haas F1 car during a private test session.
The Japanese driver slammed sideways into the guard rail after the rear of the car broke loose coming out of Turn 8 into Turn 9.
Team officials confirmed Hirakawa visited the medical center after the accident but is completely fine.
The crash happened during what’s known as a TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) session that Haas scheduled following the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
F1 rules allow each team up to 20 of these special testing days throughout the year, and Haas was using one of their allotted days at the Dutch circuit.
This wasn’t just any test for Hirakawa. The Toyota WEC driver is scheduled to make his official F1 weekend appearance during the first practice session at the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix.
Haas hasn’t yet confirmed which regular driver will step aside to give Hirakawa his FP1 opportunity – either Esteban Ocon or Oliver Bearman will make way.
The timing is particularly interesting as Haas just introduced a major upgrade package to their VF-25 car during the Austin race weekend.
Bearman put those upgrades to good use in Texas, finishing in 9th place and scoring valuable championship points.
The American team is banking on these updates to give them a late-season boost as they battle for 6th place in the Constructors’ standings.
For Hirakawa, this crash might be an unwelcome setback as he prepares for his first official F1 session this weekend in Mexico.
