Toyota chairman pens emotional letter after Hirakawa's points debut at Haas
Ryo Hirakawa scored a point in his first Formula 1 race after both Alpines were penalised. Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda then published a letter thanking Haas and calling the result a dream he had held for 17 years.
Ryo Hirakawa expected to be a Friday-practice driver in Mexico City. By Sunday evening he was a points scorer. The 32-year-old Japanese driver finished tenth on his Formula 1 debut for Haas, and Toyota's chairman marked the occasion with an emotional open letter, as reported by RacingNews365.
From reserve to points scorer
Hirakawa was Haas's reserve and had planned only to drive first practice. After Esteban Ocon was dropped on Saturday, he took over from final practice, including qualifying and the race. According to Crash.net he crossed the line 13th. A post-race penalty for McLaren's Oscar Piastri lifted him to 12th, and time penalties for Alpine's Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly for failing to slow under yellow flags moved him up to tenth. Alpine lost all five of its points and Haas gained one.
Hirakawa said he needed "to digest this moment" and called the day his dream. He added that the safety car restart gave him confidence, because he passed two cars.
The letter from Toyota
Akio Toyoda wrote that he had quietly held the wish to see a Toyota driver back in Formula 1 for 17 years, since Toyota left the sport after 2009. He credited the partnership with Haas for creating test and practice chances for Toyota drivers and praised Hirakawa's persistence and preparation without any guarantee of a seat. He thanked Gene Haas, team principal Ayao Komatsu and the team, and expressed the hope that Hirakawa would score points, then reach the podium, and that a Japanese driver would one day win a race.
Background
Hirakawa is a Toyota factory driver in the World Endurance Championship, where he won the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans. He had been Haas's reserve since 2025 and also worked for McLaren and Alpine in practice. At 32 he is among the oldest rookies of the century.
What it means
Haas has not said who will drive at the next race, the São Paulo Grand Prix on 8 November. Ocon is already leaving the team: Ferrari junior Rafael Camara will take his seat for 2027. Neither source says what comes next for Hirakawa.
