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Ryo Hirakawa has joined the Alpine team as part of what looks like an expanded test and reserve driver roster for the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Alpine already has Paul Aron on its books and is expected to finalise a deal with Franco Colapinto imminently, meaning with Hirakawa in play it should have three drivers it can call on for test and reserve duties.
Hirakawa has won two World Endurance Championship titles and continues to race for Toyota in the series, and had most recently been a member of McLaren's driver development programme.
As part of that involvement he had completed testing of previous cars (TPC) running and drove for McLaren in first practice for last year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
His Toyota links meant he also drove for Haas in the post-season Abu Dhabi test.
Alpine said that as part of his new role, Hirakawa would take part in its TPC programme and be called upon for simulator work. He will also take part in FP1 for the squad at the Japanese GP.
"As always, the opportunity of track time in F1 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.
"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 boss Oliver Oakes explained that the squad was keen to have a wide pool of talent that it could call upon for driving duties throughout 2025.
"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."
