Japanese Ryo Hirakawa has joined Alpine as one in every of their two take a look at and reserve drivers this 12 months.
The 30-year-old, who was a growth driver for McLaren in 2024, will participate in first follow on the Japanese Grand Prix for the staff on 4 April.
Hirakawa, who raced within the World Endurance Championship with Toyota final 12 months, might be one in every of two Alpine F1 reserves together with Estonian Paul Aron, who completed third in Components 2 final 12 months.
Alpine are additionally in talks with Argentine Franco Colapinto over a job with the staff.
The 21-year-old has been below contract with Williams since 2023, and raced within the remaining 9 grands prix of final season after the staff dropped American Logan Sargeant.
Colapinto, who scored factors within the Azerbaijan and US Grands Prix, impressed Williams and rival groups with the velocity of his adaptation to F1.
Pink Bull had been contemplating signing him for his or her second staff Racing Bulls in 2025 and had talks with Williams a few launch, however their curiosity cooled after a sequence of crashes for Colapinto within the Brazilian and Las Vegas races.
Alpine have continued negotiations and are exploring choices that might see Colapinto be a part of the staff’s driver line-up for 2025.
Alpine have signed Australian rookie Jack Doohan, the son of five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan, as a race driver alongside Frenchman Pierre Gasly for this season.
Doohan made his race debut on the remaining grand prix of 2024 in Abu Dhabi as Alpine sought to optimise his preparations for his debut season.
The 21-year-old certified final and completed fifteenth, whereas Gasly was sixth on the grid and seventh within the race. Doohan was practically 0.5 seconds off Gasly’s tempo within the first a part of qualifying, after which he was knocked out.
If Alpine signed Colapinto, it could give govt director Flavio Briatore and staff principal Oliver Oakes an possibility if Doohan didn’t dwell as much as expectations in the course of the season.
Hirakawa’s function will embrace collaborating in Alpine’s programme involving testing earlier automobiles (TPC). These, which permit groups to run drivers who are usually not racing in F1 in automobiles not less than two years previous, have turn into more and more prevalent amongst F1’s restrictions on testing of present equipment.
Oakes mentioned: “Ryo’s addition brings a various vary of racing expertise to our present roster and expands the pool of expertise obtainable to name upon all through the season.
“His function might be essential in offering the staff with assist in numerous areas of growth by way of our TPC programme and simulator work.”
