Rio Hirakawa will replace Okon in the Spanish Grand Prix practice

      Rio Hirakawa will return to the driving seat of Haas at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. The Japanese rider will replace Esteban Ocon in the first session of the free races. For Hirakawa, this will be the second of four training sessions scheduled for the season.

      Andrea De Zordo, Technical Director: "We are going to Barcelona – it is always a pleasure to return to this historic Formula 1 circuit. Here we need stable and efficient aerodynamics, the right compromise in settings and control of rubber wear even on one lap. For a good result, everything needs to be done perfectly.

      The characteristics of the track are very different from those of the last two races. Barcelona has high speeds and long turns, so we are waiting for important tests of the car, as the effectiveness of the updates presented in Imola should be fully revealed on the track.

      The Spanish Grand Prix will be the first stage to introduce updated requirements for the front fenders with the introduction of stricter stiffness control tests. The front wing and flaps should become more rigid, which will lead to a change in aerodynamic characteristics.

      All the teams had to redesign the front wing. Given the importance of this element for the behavior of the car and speed, it is interesting to see who coped better with the new task, and whether there will be changes in the balance of power."

      Oliver Berman: "After a short streak of setbacks, I'm looking forward to seeing what the updates we first introduced at Imola are capable of. I'm confident in the car, we have a good pace, and I have a lot of experience in Barcelona, so I expect to finish the series with a high result.

      Barcelona requires high downforce, and it's not easy to overtake, but it's a great place to evaluate the capabilities of the VF-25. The whole team has been away from home for three weeks, and I want to thank them with something nice."

      Esteban Ocon: "Racing in Spain is important to me because part of my family lives near the track and I have often come here over the years of my career. I got behind the wheel of Formula One for the first time in Spain and won one of my first Formula Renault victories in Barcelona.

      We all know the track well, as winter tests have been held here in recent years. The track is very interesting, and I like its fast turns. I'm interested to see how our car will behave on such a fast ring.

      Barcelona is completing a series of stages, but I like that we are constantly racing. Although you have to put in double or even triple efforts in such a short time. When you earn points, it's great that you can keep up the pace, but when you need to focus on big things, sometimes it's useful to have time to analyze everything. But I don't feel tired yet, because the season has just started."

      Rio Hirakawa: "First of all, I have to say that I appreciate the second opportunity to participate in the first training session, so many thanks to the team.

      Barcelona has some fast turns and long straights, so it's not going to be an easy workout, but I'm more ready now after my first time in Bahrain. I worked a lot with the engineers to prepare. I'll have an hour-long session, and I'll do my best to gather information for the team and help them have a better weekend. I'll try to focus on getting the most out of this hour – I'm looking forward to getting back behind the wheel."