22 September 2023 , 09:51
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Zak Brown took another public swipe at Alex Palou as McLaren announced its newest Formula 1 reserve driver.
Ryo Hirakawa has been signed by the team for his first official F1 role. The Japanese racer, 29, made a name for himself in top-level international motorsport in 2022 by winning the World Endurance Championship at the first attempt.
That success with Toyota Gazoo Racing included a hypercar win at Le Mans alongside former F1 drivers Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley. And that trio finished second this year in the famous 24-hour race, on the way to another manufacturers' title for the Japanese carmaker.
Hirakawa is also no stranger to single-seater racing with a decade of experience in Super Formula. He finished as runner-up in that series in 2020 and is currently fourth in the standings this year.
"I'm happy to have joined the McLaren F1 team as a reserve driver," he said. "It's an exciting prospect to work with such a respected team and I'm grateful to Zak [Brown, chief executive] and Andrea [Stella, team principal] for the opportunity.
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"I've already met the team and experienced the simulator at MTC which has allowed me to hit the ground running. I'm now fully prepared and focused for the remainder of 2023."
On top of his simulator work, Hirakawa will also take part in a real-life testing programme in McLaren's 2021 car. He has also been given permission to continue racing in the WEC alongside his new duties in F1.
Currently, McLaren is able to call upon Mick Schumacher if a reserve is needed, thanks to an agreement with engine supplier Mercedes. It also has a deal with Aston Martin to share its reserves Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Drugovich to give extra options.
IndyCar champion Palou was on the books at McLaren as a reserve, but the Spaniard has reneged on his contracts with the team. Instead, Pato O'Ward is in line to be added to its F1 reserve pool if the Mexican is granted an FIA superlicence.
Speaking about Hirakawa's signing, Brown could not resist a fresh swipe at Palou. He said: "We have a few reserve drivers with the schedule as big as it is. Obviously, we had a reserve driver that has decided not to show up here for the second half of the year.
"Ryo is a big talent. We want to give him the opportunity to test our older car but, if we need a reserve driver, we will make a determination. We have a few others under contract so in this day and age of F1, we need to have a small group of drivers and react if the situation presents itself where you need to put a driver in the car."