| Ryō Hirakawa | |
|---|---|
 Hirakawa at the2024 6 Hours of Fuji | |
| Nationality |  Japanese |
| Born | (1994-03-07)7 March 1994 (age 31) |
| FIA World Endurance Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2022 |
| Current team | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| Racing licence |  FIA Platinum |
| Car number | 8 |
| Starts | 29 |
| Championships | 2 (2022,2023) |
| Wins | 6 |
| Poles | 5 |
| Best finish | 1st in2022,2023(HY) |
| Super Formula career | |
| Debut season | 2013 |
| Former teams | Team LeMans,Team Impul |
| Starts | 71 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Podiums | 4 |
| Poles | 4 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| Best finish | 2nd in2020 |
| Super GT career | |
| Debut season | 2013 |
| Former teams | TOM'S |
| Starts | 58 |
| Championships | 1 (2017) |
| Wins | 7 |
| Podiums | 21 |
| Poles | 7 |
| Fastest laps | 5 |
| Best finish | 1st in2017(GT500) |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans career | |
| Years | 2016–2017,2022–2023 |
| Teams | TDS,G-Drive,Toyota |
| Best finish | 1st (2022) |
| Class wins | 1 (2022) |
| Previous series | |
| 2012 2010–12 2010 | Japanese F3 Formula Challenge Japan Formula BMW Pacific |
| Championship titles | |
| 2012 2012 | Japanese F3 Porsche Carrera Cup Japan |
Ryō Hirakawa (平川亮,Hirakawa Ryō; born 7 March 1994) is a Japanese racing driver who is currently competing forToyota Gazoo Racing in theFIA World Endurance Championship. He wasSuper GT GT500 champion in2017, and finished runner-up inSuper Formula in2020. He has competed in theFIA World Endurance Championship in theHypercar class since2022, winning the24 Hours of Le Mans in his debut season and the championship title in2022 and2023 alongside co-driversSébastien Buemi andBrendon Hartley. Hirakawa is also signed toHaas F1 Team as a reserve driver for the2025 Formula One season.
Born inKure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hirakawa began his racing career inkarting at the age of thirteen and raced in various local championships. In just his second year of karting, he won the 2008 All-Japan Junior Kart Championship, before progressing to theKF2 category in 2009, where he finished third in the All-Japan Kart Championship and 32nd in the Asia-Pacific Championship.[1][2]
After graduating from the Formula Toyota Racing School, Hirakawa graduated to single-seaters in 2010, competing primarily in theFormula Challenge Japan series. In hisfirst season, he finished sixth in the series standings, finishing on the podium two times in eleven races.[3] He won his first race in the Super FJ category, and won the JAF Regional Championship Super FJOkayama Series title at 16 years, 8 months of age. Hirakawa also contested the final three rounds in the 2010Formula BMW Pacific season, as a guest driver. He recorded a best finish of fourth place at Okayama.[4][5]
He remained in Formula Challenge Japan for2011, winning his first race in the sixth round atFuji Speedway. He finished the year second in the championship standings behind futureToyota Gazoo Racing WRT driverTakamoto Katsuta.[6] That same year, Hirakawa won the JAF Formula 4 West Series Championship, becoming the youngest champion at 17 years, 8 months of age.
In2012, Hirakawa competed for a third season in Formula Challenge Japan,[7] and simultaneously stepped up to theAll-Japan Formula Three Championship with Team RSS,[8] as well as thePorsche Carrera Cup Japan with a Porsche junior scholarship.
He won his debut race in Japanese F3, and seven of the first nine races of the season, en route to clinching the championship at the twelfth round inSportsland Sugo.[9] After the Japanese F3 season concluded, Hirakawa made his debut in theMacau Grand Prix with RSS, qualifying 24th and retiring from the race due to a collision.[10] In Porsche Carrera Cup Japan, Hirakawa won seven consecutive races, and clinched the series championship with two races remaining. He became the youngest ever champion in Japanese F3 and Carrera Cup Japan, at 18 years of age.[11] And in his third FCJ season, Hirakawa won five races, and finished second in the championship toNobuharu Matsushita, after both drivers finished with the same number of points and race wins.
Hirakawa joined the Toyota Young Driver Program (TDP) and made hisSuper Formula Championship debut in 2013 with the Toyota-poweredTeam LeMans. At 19 years of age, Hirakawa was the youngest driver in the championship. He finished his debut season 11th in the championship standings, with a best finish of fourth at the double-header finale atSuzuka Circuit. That same year, Hirakawa tested anIndyCar forDale Coyne Racing atSonoma Raceway.[12]
In2014, he scored his first Super Formula podium finish in the 13 July race at Fuji Speedway, finishing second after running off track while leading on the final lap. Kazuki Nakajima claimed the race victory. Hirakawa improved to eighth in the championship.[13] Hirakawa remained at Team LeMans for2015, joined by ex-Formula One driverKamui Kobayashi. Hirakawa finished eighth in the championship for the second consecutive season, recording five top eight finishes.[14]
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After two seasons away from the series, Hirakawa rejoined the Super Formula grid in2018, driving forTeam Impul alongsideYuhi Sekiguchi. He won his first pole position at the second round in Autopolis, but the race was cancelled due to heavy rain and fog.[15] He went on to record consecutive podium finishes atMotegi and Okayama, and finished a career-best fifth in the drivers' championship.[16] In the fifth round of the2019 season, Hirakawa scored his first career victory at Motegi.[17] Despite the breakthrough victory, he failed to score points in five out of the first six races, and dropped to tenth in the championship standings.[18]
The start of the2020 season was delayed until September due to the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic, but Hirakawa won the first race of the season from pole at Motegi.[19] He finished fourth and second in the following races at Okayama and Sugo, respectively, to build an early points lead. But after two consecutive non-scoring results, Hirakawa conceded the points lead, and would finish runner-up in the championship toNaoki Yamamoto by just two points.[20]
Hirakawa failed to win a race in2021, but scored two second place finishes at Suzuka and finished fourth in the championship, helping Team Impul win the teams' title.[21][22] He began the 2022 season by winning the opening round at Fuji, and the fourth round at Autopolis. He went on to finish third in the drivers' championship.
Hirakawa made hisSuper GT debut in 2014 with Lexus teamTOM's, substituting for Kazuki Nakajima in the team's No. 36 car for two races as Nakajima fulfilled commitments for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship. He recorded top ten finishes in his two races at Fuji and Autopolis.
He made his full-time debut in2015 for TOM's, driving the No. 37 KeePer-sponsored car alongsideAndrea Caldarelli. He won his first race in just his third career start at Okayama, then won again in the season finale at Motegi. Hirakawa and Caldarelli finished fifth in the championship. Hirakawa would be joined by James Rossiter for the 2016 season. They recorded podium finishes in the first two rounds of the season, but finished ninth in the drivers' championship.
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For2017, Toyota changed models to the newLexus LC 500, and Hirakawa was joined at the No. 37 TOM's car byNick Cassidy. The duo of Hirakawa and Cassidy won the opening round at Okayama, leading an all-Lexus sweep of the top six positions.[23] They won again from pole position in the penultimate round atChang International Circuit inThailand, before clinching the GT500 championship with a second-place finish at the finale at Motegi. Hirakawa and Cassidy finished the year with four podiums, and a perfect record of eight points-paying finishes. At 23 years of age, both Hirakawa and Cassidy became the youngest GT500 champions in series history, with Hirakawa holding the record for the youngest Japanese born GT500 champion.[11]
Hirakawa and Cassidy would seek to defend their championships in2018, but faced strong competition from an improvedHonda fleet led byTeam Kunimitsu and their drivers, Naoki Yamamoto and newcomerJenson Button. The reigning champions won the penultimate round in Autopolis, but fell short of the championship by three points, as Team Kunimitsu, Yamamoto, and Button won their first titles.[24]
In2019, Hirakawa and Cassidy once again finished second in the drivers' championship, just two points behind manufacturer stablematesKazuya Oshima andKenta Yamashita at Team LeMans.[25] But the No. 37 TOM's crew were able to win the teams' championship by one point over Team LeMans,[26] after another strong season for Hirakawa and Cassidy that saw them win the final round at Motegi, and record another four podium finishes. That same year, Hirakawa appeared at the2019 DTM season finale at theHockenheimring, finishing 13th in the weekend's first race. He finished eighth during the second Super GT x DTM Dream Race at Fuji Speedway on 24 November.[27]
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The start of the2020 Super GT season was delayed until July due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hirakawa and Cassidy won the opening round at Fuji Speedway from pole position, giving the newToyota GR Supra GT500 a win in its debut race.[28] After retiring from the sixth round at Suzuka due to a pit entry collision, Cassidy left the series in order to focus on his new role as a driver forEnvision Virgin Racing inFormula E. Hirakawa and his new co-driver Kenta Yamashita won pole for the final round at Fuji Speedway. They led the majority of the race, with Hirakawa in position to win the championship, but increasingly faced pressure from Naoki Yamamoto in the latter stages of the race. Hirakawa ran out of fuel on the final corner of the final lap, allowing Yamamoto to overtake him to win the race and the championship alongside new Team Kunimitsu co-driverTadasuke Makino.[29] Hirakawa coasted to a second-place finish, and again missed out on a second championship by just two points.[30]
Hirakawa was meant to drive the2021 season alongsideSacha Fenestraz, but Fenestraz's ongoing visa issues meant that Sena Sakaguchi would drive in his place for the first five rounds. Hirakawa and Sakaguchi finished on the podium in the first two rounds at Okayama and Fuji. Fenestraz returned for the sixth round at Autopolis, and the duo finished second in the final round at Fuji Speedway. Hirakawa finished the year seventh in the drivers' championship.[31]
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On 4 February 2016, Toyota Gazoo Racing announced that Hirakawa would be competing in the LMP2 class of theEuropean Le Mans Series.[32] On 4 March, Hirakawa was confirmed as the third driver at Thiriet byTDS Racing alongsidePierre Thiriet andMathias Beche. He won his first race in the ELMS at the 2016 4 Hours ofImola on 15 May, then won the following 4 Hours ofRed Bull Ring on 17 July. He also competed in the24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 2016, and was in contention for an LMP2 class podium finish before Thiriet suffered an accident early in the morning on Sunday.[33]
For 2017, Hirakawa joined the number 22G-Drive Racing entry operated byDragonSpeed, partneringMemo Rojas andLéo Roussel.[34] The trio won the second round, the 4 Hours ofMonza, on 14 May, and the G-Drive/DragonSpeed team won the LMP2 Teams' championship that season.
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On 7 December 2021, Hirakawa was announced as a driver of the #8Toyota GR010 Hybrid in the2022 FIA World Endurance Championship, partnering veteran driversSébastien Buemi andBrendon Hartley. He replacedKazuki Nakajima, who took on a managerial role atToyota Gazoo Racing after retiring from driving.[35] In his debut for the factoryHypercar team, Hirakawa scored his first career podium at the1000 Miles of Sebring. The #8 car won the pole for the24 Hours of Le Mans, and would go on to win the race. In his first time challenging for the overall victory, Hirakawa became only the sixth Japanese driver to win a leg of theTriple Crown of Motorsport, succeeding fellow Le Mans winnersMasanori Sekiya,Seiji Ara,Kamui Kobayashi, and Nakajima, andIndianapolis 500 winnerTakuma Sato.
After finishing second atMonza, winning the6 Hours of Fuji, and finishing second again inBahrain, Hirakawa won the Hypercar World Endurance Drivers' Championship. He succeeded Nakajima, Kobayashi, andToshihiro Arai as the fourth Japanese driver to win anFIA-sanctioned world championship. Hirakawa will return to partner Buemi and Hartley in2023.
In September 2023,McLaren announced that Hirakawa has joined theMcLaren Driver Development Programme and will be the team's reserve driver for the2024 season.[36][37] On 12 October 2023, Hirakawa testedFormula One machinery for the first time, driving the team's2021-specMCL35M at theCircuit de Barcelona-Catalunya alongsidePato O'Ward.[38]
Hirakawa made his debut in a Formula One race weekend at the2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, driving theMcLaren MCL38 in the first practice session in place ofOscar Piastri.[39][40] Hirakawa also participated in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi forHaas due to his links with Toyota.[41] Hirakawa was paired withEsteban Ocon in order to fulfill FIA requirements for Young Driver participation (those with two or fewer F1 starts) asOliver Bearman was ineligible after competing in three Grand Prix events in 2024.[42]
In January 2025,Alpine F1 Team announced that Hirakawa joined the team and served as test driver along with reserve driver.[43] He participated with the team in FP1 at theJapanese GP.[44][45] However due to his strong ties with Toyota, Hirakawa switched toHaas F1 Team as reserve driver and participated in FP1 for theBahrain GP.[46][47] He later made more free practice appearances with the team at theItalian andMexico City Grand Prix.[48][49] On the Monday following theUnited States Grand Prix, Hirakawa suffered a crash while partaking in a private test with Haas atCircuit Zandvoort.[50]
† – As Hirakawa was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
‡ Teams' standings.
* Season still in progress.
(Races inbold indicate pole position)(Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kygnus Sunoco Team LeMans | Toyota | SUZ 8 | AUT 7 | FUJ 11 | MOT 7 | SUG Ret | SUZ 6 | SUZ 4 | 11th | 9 | |||
| 2014 | Kygnus Sunoco Team LeMans | Toyota | SUZ 4 | FUJ1 Ret | FUJ2 8 | FUJ 2 | MOT 10 | AUT 13 | SUG 8 | SUZ 16 | SUZ 5 | 8th | 16.5 | |
| 2015 | Kygnus Sunoco Team LeMans | Toyota | SUZ 12 | OKA 9 | FUJ 6 | MOT 7 | AUT 4 | SUG 8 | SUZ 10 | SUZ 5 | 8th | 13 | ||
| 2018 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ Ret | AUT C | SUG 9 | FUJ 4 | MOT 2 | OKA 3 | SUZ Ret | 5th | 17 | |||
| 2019 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | SUZ Ret | AUT 14 | SUG 11 | FUJ 12 | MOT 1 | OKA 12 | SUZ 8 | 10th | 12 | |||
| 2020 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | MOT 11 | OKA 41 | SUG 22 | AUT 12 | SUZ Ret | SUZ 7 | FUJ 6 | 2nd | 60 | |||
| 2021 | Carenex Team Impul | Toyota | FUJ 4 | SUZ 2 | AUT Ret | SUG | MOT 4 | MOT Ret | SUZ 2 | 4th | 46 | |||
| 2022 | Carenex Team Impul | Toyota | FUJ 13 | FUJ 2 | SUZ 7 | AUT 1 | SUG 7 | FUJ Ret | MOT Ret | MOT 2 | SUZ 9 | SUZ 5 | 3rd | 87 |
| 2023 | Itochu Enex Team Impul | Toyota | FUJ 3 | FUJ 21† | SUZ 3 | AUT 5 | SUG 11 | FUJ 4 | MOT 2 | SUZ 7‡ | SUZ 6 | 5th | 58 | |
† Did not finish the race, but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Lexus Team Petronas TOM'S | Lexus RC F | GT500 | OKA | FUJ 9 | AUT 5 | SUG | FUJ | SUZ | BUR | MOT | 20th | 8 |
| 2015 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus RC F | GT500 | OKA 1 | FUJ 6 | BUR 6 | FUJ 12 | SUZ 8 | SUG 9 | AUT 12 | MOT 1 | 5th | 56 |
| 2016 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus RC F | GT500 | OKA 2 | FUJ 3 | SUG 8 | FUJ 12 | SUZ Ret | CHA 9 | MOT Ret | MOT 5 | 9th | 38 |
| 2017 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus LC 500 | GT500 | OKA 1 | FUJ 3 | AUT 6 | SUG 10 | FUJ 6 | SUZ 6 | CHA 1 | MOT 2 | 1st | 84 |
| 2018 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus LC 500 | GT500 | OKA 3 | FUJ 7 | SUZ 3 | CHA 8 | FUJ 2 | SUG 14 | AUT 1 | MOT 4 | 2nd | 75 |
| 2019 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus LC 500 | GT500 | OKA 12 | FUJ 7 | SUZ 2 | CHA 2 | FUJ 4 | AUT 3 | SUG 4 | MOT 1 | 2nd | 83 |
| 2020 | TGR Team KeePer TOM'S | Toyota GR Supra | GT500 | FUJ 1 | FUJ 4 | SUZ 7 | MOT 6 | FUJ 4 | SUZ Ret | MOT 6 | FUJ 2 | 2nd | 67 |
| 2021 | TGR Team KeePer TOM'S | Toyota GR Supra | GT500 | OKA 3 | FUJ 3 | SUZ 7 | MOT 10 | SUG 11 | AUT 9 | MOT 10 | FUJ 2 | 7th | 46 |
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Thiriet by TDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 05 | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL Ret | IMO 1 | RBR 1 | LEC | SPA 3 | EST 8 | 5th | 70 |
| 2017 | G-Drive Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SIL 2 | MNZ 1 | RBR | LEC | SPA 2 | ALG 4 | 4th | 73 |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Thiriet byTDS Racing |  Mathias BechePierre Thiriet | Oreca 05-Nissan | LMP2 | 241 | DNF | DNF |
| 2017 |  G-Drive Racing |  Memo RojasJosé Gutiérrez | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 327 | 39th | 17th |
| 2022 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien Buemi Brendon Hartley | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 380 | 1st | 1st |
| 2023 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien BuemiBrendon Hartley | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 342 | 2nd | 2nd |
| 2024 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien BuemiBrendon Hartley | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 311 | 5th | 5th |
| 2025 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Sébastien BuemiBrendon Hartley | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Hypercar | 380 | 15th | 15th |
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Lexus Team KeePer TOM'S | Lexus LC500 GT500 | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | ZOL 1 | ZOL 2 | MIS 1 | MIS 2 | NOR 1 | NOR 2 | ASS 1 | ASS 2 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | LAU 1 | LAU 2 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | HOC 1 13 | HOC 2 | NC† | 0† |
† As Hirakawa was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score championship points.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Thiriet byTDS Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 05 | NissanVK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS Ret | NÜR | MEX | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | NC | 0 |
| 2017 | G-Drive Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS 17 | NÜR | MEX | COA | FUJ | SHA | BHR | 34th | 4 |
| 2022 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Hypercar | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) | SEB 2 | SPA Ret | LMS 1 | MNZ 2 | FUJ 1 | BHR 2 | 1st | 149 | |||
| 2023 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Hypercar | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) | SEB 2 | ALG 1 | SPA 2 | LMS 2 | MNZ 6 | FUJ 2 | BHR 1 | 1st | 172 | ||
| 2024 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Hypercar | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) | QAT 8 | IMO 5 | SPA 6 | LMS 5 | SÃO 1 | COA 15 | FUJ 10 | BHR 1 | 4th | 109 | |
| 2025 | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Hypercar | Toyota GR010 Hybrid | Toyota 3.5 L Turbo V6 (Hybrid) | QAT 5 | IMO 5 | SPA 4 | LMS 14 | SÃO 15 | COA 9 | FUJ 16 | BHR 2 | 7th | 66 | |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | McLaren F1 Team | McLarenMCL38 | Mercedes-AMG M15 E Performance 1.6V6t | BHR | SAU | AUS | JPN | CHN | MIA | EMI | MON | CAN | ESP | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | AZE | SIN | USA | MXC | SAP | LVG | QAT | ABU TD | – | – |
| 2025 | BWT Alpine F1 Team | AlpineA525 | RenaultE-Tech RE25 1.6V6t | AUS | CHN | JPN TD | – | – | |||||||||||||||||||||
| MoneyGram Haas F1 Team | HaasVF-25 | Ferrari 066/10 1.6V6t | BHR TD | SAU | MIA | EMI | MON | ESP TD | CAN | AUT | GBR | BEL | HUN | NED | ITA | AZE | SIN | USA | MXC TD | SAP | LVG | QAT | ABU | ||||||
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | All-Japan Formula Three Championship Champion 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Hideto Yasuoka | Porsche Carrera Cup Japan Champion 2012 | Succeeded by Ryo Ogawa |
| Preceded by | Super GT GT500 Champion 2017 With:Nick Cassidy | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 With:Sébastien Buemi &Brendon Hartley | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | FIA World Endurance Drivers' Champion 2022-2023 With:Sébastien Buemi &Brendon Hartley | Succeeded by |
|
