Ryo Hirakawa: Le Mans Champion Knocking on F1’s Door
Ryo Hirakawa: Le Mans Champion Knocking on F1’s Door
He has already won the biggest race in endurance racing. Now, through Toyota’s new Formula 1 link, one of Japan’s most complete drivers is edging toward the grid — the modern bridge from Le Mans to F1.
Ryo Hirakawa is one of Japan’s finest racing drivers and a genuine endurance champion. With Toyota in the World Endurance Championship he won the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2022 WEC title. He has since moved closer to Formula 1: for 2026 he is the reserve driver for the TGR Haas F1 Team — the Toyota-linked F1 outfit — and is set to drive in selected Friday practice (FP1) sessions, while continuing to race Toyota’s TR010 Hybrid in WEC. He represents the modern route from sportscars toward an F1 seat.
1. Who Ryo Hirakawa is
An endurance champion with Formula 1 in his sights.
Ryo Hirakawa is a leading light of Toyota’s World Endurance Championship programme, a fast and consistent driver who has won at the very top of sportscar racing.1 Increasingly, he is also part of the Formula 1 conversation. ⚠ Reserve and race roles change — check the latest.
2. A Le Mans champion
Hirakawa’s landmark achievement came in 2022, when he won the Le Mans 24 Hours with Toyota and took the WEC drivers’ title the same year — reaching the summit of endurance racing alongside team-mates Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley. It established him as one of the most accomplished Japanese drivers of his generation.1
3. The road toward F1
What makes Hirakawa especially interesting now is his Formula 1 trajectory. For 2026 he is a reserve driver for the TGR Haas F1 Team — the team carrying Toyota’s new technical partnership into F1 — and is scheduled to take part in some FP1 practice sessions, real grand-prix mileage that keeps an eventual race seat in play.2 He continues to race Toyota’s TR010 Hybrid in WEC at the same time. ⚠ His exact F1 role can change — confirm the latest.
4. Why he matters
- He’s already a champion. A Le Mans and WEC winner, not a hopeful.
- He’s a Toyota-to-F1 bridge. The Toyota-Haas link gives him a realistic F1 pathway.
- He widens Japan’s F1 hopes. A second credible Japanese name around the grid.
In five lines
- Ryo Hirakawa is a leading Toyota driver in the World Endurance Championship.
- He won the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours and the 2022 WEC drivers’ title.
- For 2026 he is the reserve driver for the Toyota-linked TGR Haas F1 Team.
- He is set to run selected FP1 sessions while still racing in WEC.
- He represents the modern bridge from sportscars toward an F1 seat. ⚠ Confirm his current role.
From Le Mans toward the F1 grid
Explore endurance racing’s Hypercar era and Japan’s road to Formula 1.
Sources & notes
- Ryo Hirakawa — Toyota WEC driver; 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours winner and 2022 WEC champion (with Buemi & Hartley). AUTOSPORT web
- 2026: reserve driver for TGR Haas F1 Team, scheduled for selected FP1 sessions; continues in WEC. Car Watch
A driver profile dated 14 June 2026. Reserve and race roles change — flagged ⚠ items should be confirmed against official WEC / F1 / team sources.
📅 更新履歴
| 日付 | 変更内容 |
|---|---|
| 2026年6月14日 | 初回公開 |
✅ ファクト再検証
最終検証日：2026年6月14日
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