The reigning World Champions fought valiantly to recover from a disappointing qualifying and score valuable points after an intense team effort featuring determined driving and smart strategy in the final race before next month’s Le Mans 24 Hours, which it aims to win for a sixth time.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa finished in a hard-fought fourth place in their #8 GR010 HYBRID after choosing an aggressive fuel strategy, while Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries were seventh in their #7 GR010 HYBRID.
Cheered on by a weekend crowd of 98,874, including employees from the team’s Cologne base and colleagues from Toyota Motor Europe, an epic battle began on a warm and sunny afternoon.
The team’s difficult qualifying meant Brendon started 15th and Mike 16th, but both GR010 HYBRIDS fought hard from the green light to gain positions.
An exciting opening stint set the tone for the race, with wheel-to-wheel racing throughout the 18-strong Hypercar field. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing started its fightback, and precise, aggressive driving helped both GR010 HYBRIDS move closer to the top 10, although a front-right puncture hindered Mike’s progress after 23 minutes.
A virtual safety car late in the second hour allowed Mike to make his next pit stop while losing less time than a stop in green flag conditions, lifting the #7 into the top 10. At the next pit stops, midway through the third hour, Kamui took over the car in eighth while Ryo took the wheel of the 11th-placed #8.
In a thrilling duel, Kamui fought past the #5 Porsche for seventh but had to cede the place after drifting off track. He repeated the move successfully just a lap later, before a safety car at half distance gave a further opportunity to gain positions.
When the field pitted together, a faster stop, thanks to changing only two tyres, allowed Kamui to leapfrog several rivals and sit third at the restart.
When racing resumed, Kamui was under intense pressure from the Ferraris. A locked brake into the Bus Stop chicane saw the #7 run wide and, with all cars running so close together, dropped down to seventh.
Yet another safety car late in the fourth hour prompted both cars to pit for a driver change. Nyck took over the #7 in fourth, while Sébastien strapped into the ninth-placed #8.
In the process, Sébastien equalled the record for participating in the most WEC races, 89 since his debut at Le Mans 2012.
Entering the final two hours, differing fuel strategies emerged. The #8 car opted for a bold plan by cutting short its penultimate stint to move out of traffic and allow Sébastien to set faster lap times. As rivals made their regular stops, Sébastien even moved into the lead until his final fuel stop, with 45 minutes remaining.
The #8 crept back up the order as the other Hypercars made their last stops. As the clock ticked down, Sébastien progressed to fourth, while Nyck also gained positions and crossed the line in seventh, maintaining the team’s 100% points-scoring start to the season.
“It was an action-packed race. We started more or less from the back of the grid with both cars, and we didn’t have the pace of our competitors, but we had amazing teamwork,” said Hartley
“With a good strategy, we kept our belief, and at some point, we thought maybe a podium was possible. But honestly, fourth was absolutely the best we could realistically achieve.
“We never dreamt of that after qualifying. We just put the perfect race together between mechanics, engineers and drivers.
“Although we are impatient to spray podium champagne soon, it was great to collect these points.”
The next round is the highlight of the endurance racing season: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which takes place from 14 to 15 June. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will challenge for its sixth victory at La Sarthe.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing (Supplied)
