Haas and Alpine in talks over acquiring this F1 driver
Exclusive
- Ludo van Denderen
Haas F1 are in talks with Alpine about acquiring Ryo Hirakawa, GPblog can reveal. The Japanese is currently one of Alpine's reserve drivers but would become a reserve driver for the American team if negotiations are successful. Currently, Haas does not have an official reserve driver.
Should an agreement be reached on the Japanese driver's switch, it will not take place until after the Japanese Grand Prix anyway. It was already known that Hirakawa would be in action on behalf of Alpine during the first free practice session. Any deal with Haas will only take effect after that.
Hirakawa has never driven a Grand Prix, but he has already tested cars for several F1 teams. For instance, the Japanese was one of McLaren's reserve drivers in 2024, driving in FP1 as Oscar Piastri's replacement at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After the race weekend, Hirakawa did the Young Driver Test on behalf of Haas at the same Yas Marina Bay circuit.
Hirakawa back with team from previous test
At the time, Hirakawa was expected to stay on at Haas as the regular test and reserve driver. But he eventually signed for Alpine, promising to drive one of the French cars during free practice in Suzuka.
The chances of a permanent race seat at Alpine seem slim. With Franco Colapinto, Alpine has an internally highly regarded reserve driver, about whom it is speculated that he will relieve Jack Doohan as a driver alongside Pierre Gasly at some point in 2025.
Hirakawa is also currently a regular driver for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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