Ryō Hirakawa joins Alpine F1 as a reserve driver ahead of 2025 season

The 2025 Formula 1 season is just around the corner, but Alpine is not done adding to their driver roster.

The team announced on Thursday that Ryō Hirakawa was joining Alpine as a test and reserve driver for the 2025 season. As part of his duties, Hirakawa will participate in the team’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) program, and will drive the A525 in FP1 ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix at the start of April. Hirakawa has extensive experience driving in different championships, including Super Formula, Endurance, and Super GT. He was also part of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team that captured victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022.

Hirakawa was also a reserve for McLaren F1 during the 2024 campaign, and drove in PF1 at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“It is an honour to be joining BWT Alpine Formula One Team as a Test and Reserve Driver for the 2025 season. As always, the opportunity of track time in Formula One machinery is the pinnacle for race drivers and I am excited to drive in Free Practice 1 in front of my home crowd at the Japanese Grand Prix, as well as working with the team testing previous cars,” said Hirakawa in the team’s announcement. “It is a great opportunity to be working with such a dedicated team that utilises the breadth of experience of its driver pool and I look forward to playing a part in making 2025 a positive year together.”

Alpine Team Principal Oliver Oakes praised the driver’s diverse range of experience in the announcement.

“It is great to bring Ryō on board with the team for 2025 and have him step in to take over driving duties for FP1 in Japan in front of his home crowd. His addition brings a diverse range of racing experience to our current roster and expands the pool of talent available to call upon throughout the season,” said Oakes. “His role will be important in providing the team with support in various areas of development through our TPC programme and simulator work, and we are looking forward to welcoming him to the team as we press ahead with preparations for the new season.”

The announcement comes as rumors swirl regarding the team’s lineup for the 2025 season. While Alpine confirmed Jack Doohan as their driver alongside Pierre Gasly back in August, and Doohan stepped in for Esteban Ocon in the season finale, reporting in recent days from various outlets indicates that a shock signing of Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver could be in the cards.

Whether that is indeed the case remains to be seen. Alpine did not respond to an inquiry regarding Colapinto by publication.