Alpine loses talent to the competition: This driver makes a sudden switch to Haas

Haas has welcomed Ryō Hirakawa to its ranks as their new reserve driver. The Japanese driver is making the switch from the Alpine team, which he recently joined.

Hirakawa is set to become Haas’s official reserve driver for the 2025 Formula 1 season and will also take part in multiple free practice sessions throughout the year. Under current F1 regulations, each team must give a rookie driver at least four FP1 outings per season — and Hirakawa’s first opportunity is just around the corner. This Friday, he’ll step in for Oliver Bearman during the first free practice session.

The news of the switch is not entirely unexpected. Earlier, GPblog reported that Haas and Alpine were in talks about acquiring the highly respected sportscar driver. Hirakawa was in action for the Alpine team during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, taking part in the first free practice session on Friday. He temporarily stepped into Jack Doohan’s seat at home in Japan.

Since 2024, Haas has had a working relationship with Toyota Gazoo Racing. Hirakawa is deply intertwined with Toyota and races for them in the World Endurance Championship.

Hirakawa left excited about his Haas move

“I’m excited to join MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, I really appreciate this opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to a new journey with the team. I’m driving my first FP1 session in Bahrain, so for me to have driven at two race weekends in a row is exciting, and I can’t wait to get to Bahrain. I would like to thank Komatsu-san, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, Morizo-san (Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation) and Toyota GAZOO Racing for this opportunity, it’s a new challenge for me and I can’t wait to get started.”

In 2024, the Japanese driver took part in free practice sessions with Haas and also drove for the American team during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. However, ahead of the 2025 season, he made the switch and accepted a role as a reserve driver for Alpine, officially joining the French outfit in January. Hirakawa has also been a reserve driver for McLaren.

The switch from Alpine is understandable. The team recently had as many as four different reserve drivers (Paul Aron, Kush Maini, Franco Colapinto and Hirakawa).

At Haas, the 28-year-old driver will likely have more chances to demonstrate his abilities on track.

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This article was written with Kim Hoefnagel