Toyota protégé Ryo Hirakawa's Formula 1 journey will take another step forward this weekend as the Japanese driver climbs back into a Haas cockpit for opening practice at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours winner is set to take over Esteban Ocon's VF-26 during Friday's FP1 session at the Red Bull Ring, adding another chapter to a growing collection of Formula 1 appearances as he continues to chase his long-term grand prix ambitions.
For Hirakawa, the outing marks his seventh FP1 appearance overall, having already accumulated valuable mileage with McLaren, Alpine and Haas since 2024.
It also continues his role within Haas' expanding partnership with Toyota, where he serves as both the team's reserve driver and a key member of Japanese manufacturer’s World Endurance Championship programme.
Another opportunity to impress
Hirakawa is no stranger to making the most of Formula 1’s limited opportunities. Last season, he completed four rookie practice sessions with Haas in Bahrain, Spain, Mexico City and Abu Dhabi, helping the US outfit gather data while gaining precious experience behind the wheel of contemporary F1 machinery.
And Austria now presents another opportunity to strengthen that case.
“It’s going to be my first FP1 session of the season, and it’s been awhile since I’ve driven around the Red Bull Ring,” he said.
“I think it’s the perfect track for me to drive the VF-26 for the first time because it has everything – straight lines as well as low- and high-speed corners, so it's going to be a fun experience.
“I’m really excited and I can’t wait to get in there as a 60-minute practice session is so short. The aim is to get used to the car as fast as possible and to collect as much data so I can support the team in the best way I can.”
While several teams have already been working through their mandatory rookie-running commitments this season, Haas sat out the recent wave of FP1 substitutions in Barcelona.
This weekend, Hirakawa will join out on track fellow rookies Paul Aron (Audi), Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), and Luke Browning (Williams).
Haas looking for answers during busy summer stretch
The timing comes as Haas prepares for a crucial run of races.
Team principal Ayao Komatsu acknowledged disappointment with recent results but sees the upcoming double-header in Austria and Britain as an ideal opportunity to unlock more performance from the VF-26.
"Despite frustrations with our results in the past two events, the benefit of this part of the season is the volume of races we have in a relatively short period of time. We're heading into another double-header with Austria and Great Britain back-to-back,” he said.
"Obviously, they're two very different circuits but both offer us an opportunity to further develop our understanding of the VF-26.
"As I said though, we're really looking forward to the next few weeks with four races in five weekends. We're going to be kept extremely busy but that's the challenge.
"It's imperative we keep pushing to be better operationally and deliver the kind of results we know we're capable of. Having scored points in four of the first five events this season, we need to find that level of consistency again."
Komatsu has long been impressed by the technical contribution Hirakawa brings to the team, praising the Japanese driver's detailed approach and ability to help accelerate development work.
Reflecting on Hirakawa's integration into Haas through the Toyota partnership, Komatsu previously said:
“His feedback was very detailed at the post-season test last year [2024], 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.”
As Haas searches for a return to the consistency that marked the start of its campaign, Friday's FP1 session offers benefits on multiple fronts.
The team gains another experienced set of hands to evaluate the VF-26, while Hirakawa earns yet another chance to demonstrate that his Formula 1 dream remains very much alive.
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