Toyota Gazoo Racing brought its comprehensive on-track preparations for the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours to a close when practice concluded at the Circuit de la Sarthe, venue for the fourth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).
After 16 hours of track action, a combined 425 laps and 5,791km of intense preparation at La Sarthe – in the official test, four free practice sessions, qualifying and Hyperpole – Toyota Gazoo Racing is ready to take on the 62-car grid and challenge for its sixth Le Mans victory, in front of a sell-out 320,000 crowd.
Despite a strong lap from Brendon Hartley to reach Thursday’s pole position shoot-out, Hyperpole ended in disappointment due to a puncture for Sébastien Buemi, which leaves the #8 GR010 HYBRID they share with Ryo Hirakawa 10th on the grid.
“I was really happy with my lap in Hyperpole 1; it felt great. It always puts a smile on my face to drive flat-out around here, maximum attack with low fuel and new tyres. The car felt okay, and I feel like I got the most performance out of it.” said Hartley.
“We didn’t have ultimate performance over one lap which, in a way, is a result of our strategy because we have focused on race pace. Free practice has been encouraging in terms of race pace so we will focus on maximising our package for the weekend now.”
After qualifying frustration on Wednesday, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries will line up in 17th in their #7 GR010 HYBRID when the race begins at 4pm on Saturday.
“I think generally these two sessions were a bit more positive than Wednesday, and we could focus exclusively on improving the car for the race. We have had a challenging week so far, but I think we are heading in the right direction.” said De Vries
“Obviously now we are done with practice, so we need to analyse everything on Friday and get as much sleep as possible before the excitement starts.”
The final day of practice featured two free practice sessions alongside Hyperpole, which determined the starting positions for the top 15 Hypercars. For TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, the focus was firmly on optimising the GR010 HYBRIDs in race trim, to maximise its chances of a fighting for victory.
Third practice started on a warm, dry afternoon, providing ideal conditions for tyre comparisons. With a 24-hour race ahead, getting the maximum from the tyres is a key factor so the #8 car tried different Michelin compounds, while the #7 analysed mechanical set-ups during the three-hour session.
A red flag midway through cost 15 minutes of an otherwise trouble-free and productive session for the team.
At 9.05pm (local time), 15 Hypercars – including the #8 GR010 HYBRID – contested Hyperpole 1 for the 10 places in Hyperpole 2, which decided the leading grid positions. On new medium tyres, Brendon set the best time so far for a GR010 HYBRID at Le Mans with his final lap and progressed in sixth.
A new format requires a different driver to take part in each Hyperpole session, so Sébastien took over for Hyperpole 2.
However, he suffered a trip through the gravel at Mulsanne corner and was forced to return slowly to the pits with a puncture as time slipped away, leaving him no chance of another flying lap.
The final hour of practice took place in darkness from 11pm (local time) and provided a final opportunity to fine-tune the cars, as well as their LED headlights in night conditions, and the team completed a trouble-free hour. The next time the cars hit the track will be for a short warm-up at midday on Saturday, prior to the race start at 4pm.
Although there is no track activity for the Hypercars on Friday, the team and drivers have a packed schedule of preparing and checking the cars, defining race strategies and practising procedures. In addition, when both car crews will meet the fans riding in hydrogen fuel cell Hilux Prototype pick-ups during the traditional driver’s parade in the city centre on Friday afternoon.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing
