MoneyGram Haas F1 Team announce Ryo Hirakawa as Official Reserve Driver

MoneyGram Haas F1 Team have announced Ryo Hirakawa has their Official Reserve Driver for the ongoing Formula One season.

The Japanese driver has previously raced for McLaren, Alpine, and Haas as a Test and Reserve Driver. 

Hirakawa won the FIA World Endurance Champion in 2022 and 2023 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – Hypercar in 2022. He was part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme and drove the McLaren car in 2023.

The 31-year-old made his Formula One debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, where he drove in Free Practice Session 1 and took part in the post-season test for Haas.

Recently, Hirakawa raced for Alpine as their Test and Reserve Driver and took part in Free Practice Session 1 at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking about his new role, Hirakawa commented:

“I’m excited to join the 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.“

Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal, MoneyGram Haas F1 Team, added:

“It’s great to welcome Ryo to MoneyGram Haas F1 Team and have his experience bolster our knowledge and understanding of the VF-25. His feedback was very detailed at the post-season test last year, so being able to provide Ryo valuable track time across four different circuits this year will help the entire team. As part of our collaboration with Toyota GAZOO Racing, it’s great to welcome new talent into the team – it’s a real pleasure to work with a racer of his driving acumen.“