A GT500 title at 23, a Super Formula runner-up finish, Le Mans and world titles with Toyota, then reserve and practice roles at McLaren, Alpine and Haas.
Japan's Ryo Hirakawa, born in Kure, took the Super GT GT500 crown in 2017 and won the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours for Toyota. He has also held reserve and practice roles in Formula One with McLaren, Alpine and Haas.
Born in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, in 1994, Ryo Hirakawa is a Japanese racer. He won the Super GT GT500 title in 2017 and was runner-up in Super Formula in 2020. Since 2022 he has raced for Toyota in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and he holds a reserve role with Haas in Formula One.
How did Hirakawa's karting and single-seater years develop?
Hirakawa began karting at thirteen and won the 2008 All-Japan Junior Kart Championship in his second year. He moved into single-seaters in 2010 with Formula Challenge Japan, finishing sixth with two podiums, and took the Super FJ Okayama title at 16.
In 2011 he won his first Formula Challenge Japan race at Fuji Speedway and finished second in the series behind Takamoto Katsuta. That year he also took the JAF Formula 4 West title, becoming its youngest champion at 17 years and 8 months.
A GT500 champion at 23 who won Le Mans on his factory debut and then moved into Formula One practice.
What did his 2012 season achieve in Japanese Formula Three and Carrera Cup?
In 2012 Hirakawa stepped up to Japanese F3 with Team RSS and entered Porsche Carrera Cup Japan on a Porsche junior scholarship. He won his debut Japanese F3 race, took seven of the first nine races and clinched the title at round twelve at Sportsland Sugo.
At 18 he was the youngest champion in both Japanese F3 and Carrera Cup Japan. In the Carrera Cup he won seven consecutive races and clinched the title with two rounds to spare.
His Macau Grand Prix debut with RSS that autumn ended early, after he qualified 24th and retired from the race following a collision.
How did Hirakawa's Super Formula career develop?
Hirakawa joined the Toyota Young Driver Program and made his Super Formula debut in 2013 with Team LeMans. He was 19, the youngest driver on the grid, and finished 11th in the championship with a best result of fourth at the Suzuka double-header finale.
In 2014 he took his first Super Formula podium, finishing second at Fuji on 13 July, although he ran wide while leading the final lap. He finished eighth that season and again in 2015, when he stayed at Team LeMans alongside Kamui Kobayashi and recorded five top-eight finishes.
He returned to the series in 2018 with Team Impul alongside Yuhi Sekiguchi. He took pole at Autopolis, but that round was cancelled by rain and fog, and he went on to finish a career-best fifth in the championship.
His first Super Formula victory came at Motegi in 2019, although he scored no points in five of the opening six rounds and fell to tenth in the standings. The 2020 season began late, in September, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he won the opener from pole at Motegi.
He finished 2020 as runner-up to Naoki Yamamoto by two points. In 2021 he won no races but finished second twice at Suzuka and fourth in the championship, helping Team Impul take the teams title. In 2022 he won the opening round at Fuji and round four at Autopolis, ending third in the drivers championship.
How did Hirakawa win the Super GT title?
Hirakawa made his full-time Super GT debut with TOM's in 2015 and won the GT500 championship in 2017 with Nick Cassidy. They took the opener at Okayama, won again at Chang International Circuit in Thailand and finished second at Motegi to clinch the title.
The 2017 Lexus LC 500 set the pace from the start, with an all-Lexus top six in the opening round. The pair ended 2017 with four podiums and eight finishes that earned points.
Aged 23, Hirakawa became the youngest Japanese-born GT500 champion in the series.
The 2018 defence fell three points short, as Team Kunimitsu and its drivers Naoki Yamamoto and Jenson Button claimed their first titles. In 2019 Hirakawa and Cassidy were second by two points, while TOM's took the teams championship by a single point over Team LeMans.
The new Toyota GR Supra GT500 won on debut in 2020, with Hirakawa taking the opening round at Fuji from pole. The season ended in a close finish: he ran dry on the last corner of the closing lap and finished second, two points behind Naoki Yamamoto.
In 2021 Sena Sakaguchi shared the car for the first five rounds. Hirakawa stood on the podium at Okayama and Fuji and finished the year seventh in the championship.
What did Hirakawa achieve in the European Le Mans Series?
Toyota Gazoo Racing confirmed on 4 February 2016 that he would take an LMP2 seat in the European Le Mans Series. He won the 4 Hours of Imola on 15 May and the 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring on 17 July.
That year he also made his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, and his LMP2 podium chance was lost in an accident involving Pierre Thiriet early on the Sunday. In 2017 he drove the No. 22 G-Drive Racing entry operated by DragonSpeed, Monza brought a win on 14 May, and the team took the LMP2 teams championship that season.
Why did Hirakawa become a world champion in endurance racing?
Hirakawa was announced on 7 December 2021 as a crew member of the No. 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid for the 2022 WEC campaign, replacing Kazuki Nakajima, who moved into management. He partnered Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, the same two drivers he would race with in later seasons.
His first factory podium came at Sebring in the 1000 Miles race. The No. 8 car then qualified first for Le Mans and won the race, which made Hirakawa the sixth Japanese driver to take a leg of motorsport's Triple Crown.
The Le Mans victory was part of a title run that also included a win at the 6 Hours of Fuji. The result gave him the Hypercar drivers championship in 2022, and it made him the fourth Japanese world champion in FIA-sanctioned racing, following Nakajima, Kobayashi and Arai.
He returned to the team in 2023 with Buemi and Hartley and won the title again.
What did Hirakawa do in Formula One?
Hirakawa joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme in September 2023 as reserve driver for 2024. He first tested a Formula One car on 12 October 2023, the McLaren MCL35M at Barcelona, and then made his practice debut at Abu Dhabi in 2024, replacing Oscar Piastri in first practice.
Because Oliver Bearman had already started three Grands Prix in 2024, Hirakawa was paired with Esteban Ocon to satisfy the FIA young driver rules. He also tested for Haas after that Abu Dhabi weekend, reflecting his links with Toyota.
In January 2025 Alpine F1 Team announced him as test and reserve driver, and he ran in FP1 at the Japanese Grand Prix. He then signed as Haas reserve driver and took part in FP1 at Bahrain, followed by further appearances at Italy and Mexico City.
The Haas period brought two crashes. He crashed during a private Haas test at Circuit Zandvoort on the Monday after the United States Grand Prix, and crashed at turn one in a young driver test after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In 2026 he has continued with Friday practice appearances, including the Austrian and Hungarian Grands Prix.
What is Hirakawa's record across his main series?
| Series | Years | Team | Best result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula Challenge Japan | 2010-2012 | Various | Runner-up in 2011 |
| Japanese Formula Three | 2012 | Team RSS | Champion, youngest ever at 18 |
| Porsche Carrera Cup Japan | 2012 | Porsche junior scholarship | Champion, seven consecutive wins |
| Super Formula | 2013-2022 | Team LeMans, Team Impul | Runner-up in 2020, two points short |
| Super GT | 2014-2021 | TOM's, Lexus | GT500 champion in 2017 |
| European Le Mans Series | 2016-2017 | TDS, G-Drive Racing | Two wins in 2016, one in 2017 |
| FIA World Endurance Championship | 2022 onward | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Hypercar drivers championship in 2022 and 2023 |
| Formula One | 2024 onward | McLaren, Alpine, Haas | Practice and reserve roles |
