Ryō Hirakawa becomes Haas reserve driver

Hirakawa did, however, take part in the first free practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix this Friday, replacing Jack Doohan at Alpine. Along with Paul Aron, Franco Colapinto and Kush Maini, he formed a quartet of reserve drivers, and would logically have been the one to compensate for a possible absence of Doohan following his accident at Suzuka. From now on, he will race in the team's colours Haas, which he knows well since he participated in the young driver tests in Abu Dhabi at the wheel of the VF-24 last December. The Japanese driver, who is racing in WEC On behalf of Toyota, a structure directly linked to the American team via a partnership, will be the one that will carry out the four mandatory EL1 sessions for rookies on behalf of Haas this year.

He will replace Oliver Bearman this weekend in Bahrain, and will then take the same seat again during Free Practice 1 of the Mexican Grand Prix. Esteban Ocon will leave him behind the wheel of his VF-25 during the Spanish and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will close the season as usual, from December 5 to 7.

“I am delighted to be joining the Haas team, I really appreciate this opportunity and I look forward to starting this new journey with the team.”, explained Hirakawa, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022 alongside Brendon Hartley et Sébastien Buemi. “I'll be competing in Free Practice 1 this weekend in Bahrain, so for me it's exciting to be able to compete in two consecutive race weekends, and I can't wait to go to Bahrain.”

Team Principal of the American team, Ayao Komatsu, did not fail to praise his new recruit: “His feedback was very detailed during post-season testing last year, and being able to give Ryō valuable track time at four different circuits this year will help the whole team. As part of our collaboration with Toyota Gazoo Racing, we are delighted to welcome new talent to the team – it’s a real pleasure to work with a driver as talented as him.”

For its part, Alpine confirmed that the Japanese pilot had indeed left its ranks. “It’s always good to see drivers being offered new opportunities in this sport, and so we’re pleased to see Ryo join another team in a test and reserve driver role. Ryo delivered a great performance in the first test session in Japan and has left a great impression, both on and off the track, with his professionalism and work ethic during his time with the team. We wish him the best of luck for the future and the next stage of his career with Haas.”

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