Toyota issues incredibly emotional letter after ‘unforgettable’ Hirakawa F1 debut

Ryo, congratulations on your F1 debut! And most of all, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Ever since Toyota withdrew from F1 in 2009, there has been a feeling I have carried with me.

I believe every racing driver dreams of one day driving the fastest car in the world. I wanted to find a way to make that dream come true for our drivers. I wanted to see a Toyota driver race in F1 again.

That was a dream I had quietly held in my heart for 17 years. Through our partnership with Haas, we gradually created opportunities for our drivers to take on the challenge of F1, through testing and FP1 sessions.

And now, 17 years after 2009, that day has finally come. One of Toyota’s drivers has raced in a Formula 1 Grand Prix. And I could not be happier that it was Ryo Hirakawa.

When I last met Ryo, it was after he had faced a difficult outcome in his pursuit of a full-time race seat for the following season. At that time, Ryo promised me that he would never give up.

Drivers are reaching F1 at an increasingly young age. And I felt truly sorry that Ryo had to go through so many difficulties along the way.

I told him, "When you have to make a choice, choose the path that makes you happy. Choose what you really want to do." Even so, Ryo never stopped preparing.

He kept himself in the best possible condition, ready to deliver his very best whenever an opportunity might come along, even though nobody knew when that opportunity would arrive, or whether it would ever come at all.

He kept going without any guarantee that his efforts would be rewarded. That is why I am so happy to see him make his F1 debut.

After driving in FP1 on Friday, Ryo was suddenly called up the following morning to drive in FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, and then the race on Sunday. With very little time to prepare, he showed the pace to fight for a place in Q2, and in the race, he kept pushing right to the end.

The final result may not have been what he had hoped for. But seeing Ryo take on the world’s highest level of motorsport with such confidence and determination made me incredibly proud. When I saw Ryo line up on the F1 grid, I felt that one of my own dreams had finally come true, too.

Ryo, thank you for making my dream come true. I also want to express my heartfelt thanks to Gene Haas, Ayao Komatsu, and every engineer, mechanic and member of the TGR Haas F1 Team.

This day would not have been possible without your trust in Ryo, your support, and the tremendous effort of every single person in the team. It takes so many people working together to make one driver’s dream of racing in F1 come true.

To each and every one of you, thank you. Truly. My heartfelt thanks also go to Ryo’s family, who have supported him throughout his journey, to the fans who never stopped cheering for him, and to everyone else who has supported him along the way.

Ryo’s drive has brought dreams and inspiration to so many children. In endurance racing, Ryo has already reached the very top of the world. Now, I hope he can take the next steps in Formula racing, too. First, scoring points. Then, standing on the podium. I want all of us to cheer him on, together with the fans, one step at a time.

And one day, I hope to see a Japanese driver standing on the top step of an F1 podium. Nobody knows when the next opportunity will come. But after everything Ryo has endured, all the patience he has shown, and all the hard work he has put in while continuing to believe in his dream, I believe he will give us another reason to dream.

Gene, Ayao, and everyone at TGR Haas F1 Team, Let’s continue creating opportunities for our drivers to chase their dreams. Building cars and going racing are never things we can do alone. It is about people connecting, becoming friends and teammates, and chasing dreams together.

I want to keep racing forward with all of you, as one team. Ryo, thank you for giving us such an unforgettable moment. And thank you for making my dream come true, too!