Ryō Hirakawa (平川亮) is a Japanese racing driver who is currently competing for Toyota Gazoo Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
1924
After the Japanese F3 season concluded, Hirakawa made his debut in the Macau Grand Prix with RSS, qualifying 24th and retiring from the race due to a collision.
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.
And in his third FCJ season, Hirakawa won five races, and finished second in the championship to Nobuharu Matsushita, after both drivers finished with the same number of points and race wins.
2008
In just his second year of karting, he won the 2008 All-Japan Junior Kart Championship, before progressing to the KF2 category in 2009, where he finished third in the All-Japan Kart Championship and 32nd in the Asia-Pacific Championship.
2010
After graduating from the Formula Toyota Racing School, Hirakawa graduated to single-seaters in 2010, competing primarily in the Formula Challenge Japan series.
In his first season, he finished sixth in the series standings, finishing on the podium two times in eleven races.
He won his first race in the Super FJ category, and won the JAF Regional Championship Super FJ Okayama Series title at 16 years, 8 months of age.
Hirakawa also contested the final three rounds in the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific season, as a guest driver.
He recorded a best finish of fourth place at Okayama.
2011
He remained in Formula Challenge Japan for 2011, winning his first race in the sixth round at Fuji Speedway.
He finished the year second in the championship standings behind future Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT driver Takamoto Katsuta.
That same year, Hirakawa won the JAF Formula 4 West Series Championship, becoming the youngest champion at 17 years, 8 months of age.
He finished his debut season 11th in the championship standings, with a best finish of fourth at the double-header finale at Suzuka Circuit.
That same year, Hirakawa tested an IndyCar for Dale Coyne Racing at Sonoma Raceway.
2012
In 2012, Hirakawa competed for a third season in Formula Challenge Japan, and simultaneously stepped up to the All-Japan Formula Three Championship with Team RSS, as well as the Porsche 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 in Sportsland Sugo.
2013
Hirakawa joined the Toyota Young Driver Program (TDP) and made his Super Formula Championship debut in 2013 with the Toyota-powered Team LeMans.
At 19 years of age, Hirakawa was the youngest driver in the championship.
2014
In 2014, 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.
2015
Hirakawa remained at Team LeMans for 2015, joined by ex-Formula One driver Kamui Kobayashi.
Hirakawa finished eighth in the championship for the second consecutive season, recording five top eight finishes.
2017
He was Super GT GT500 champion in 2017, and finished runner-up in Super Formula in 2020.
He has competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar class since 2022, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in his debut season and the championship title in 2022 and 2023 alongside co-drivers Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley.
Hirakawa is also signed to McLaren's Driver Development Programme as a reserve driver for the 2024 Formula One season.
Born in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hirakawa began his racing career in karting at the age of thirteen and raced in various local championships.
2018
After two seasons away from the series, Hirakawa rejoined the Super Formula grid in 2018, driving for Team Impul alongside Yuhi Sekiguchi.
He won his first pole position at the second round in Autopolis, but the race was cancelled due to heavy rain and fog.
He went on to record consecutive podium finishes at Motegi and Okayama, and finished a career-best fifth in the drivers' championship.
2019
In the fifth round of the 2019 season, Hirakawa scored his first career victory at Motegi.
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.
2020
The start of the 2020 season was delayed until September due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Hirakawa won the first race of the season from pole at Motegi.
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 to Naoki Yamamoto by just two points.
Hirakawa failed to win a race in 2021, but scored two second place finishes at Suzuka and finished fourth in the championship, helping Team Impul win the teams' title.
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.
