Ryo Hirakawa to Drive for McLaren in Abu Dhabi GP FP1
Ryo Hirakawa has been confirmed to participate in Free Practice 1 (FP1) for McLaren at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Hirakawa will drive the MCL38 in the 60-minute FP1 session, replacing Oscar Piastri, helping McLaren fulfill their requirement of running rookie drivers in two free practice sessions as mandated by competition rules.
Hirakawa became McLaren’s reserve driver in September 2023 and has been an important member of their driver development program, working on simulator development at the McLaren Technology Centre.
He has driven the MCL35M (2023) and MCL36 (2024) in private tests. The Japanese racer’s achievements include winning the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours, WEC titles in 2022 and 2023, the 2017 SUPER GT GT500 championship, and finishing runner-up in the 2020 Super Formula championship.
Hirakawa posted the following on his X (formerly Twitter) account:
“Thank you very much! Finally, I will be able to drive in an official F1 session this Friday! I will do my best!”
Additionally, McLaren has announced that Pato O’Ward, their reserve driver who has already completed three FP1 sessions, will participate in the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi following the season’s conclusion.
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