Italy awaits Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Gazoo Racing resume their FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title quest with the first European round of the 2025 season, the Six Hours of Imola, this Sunday (20 April).

The reigning manufacturers’ World Champions opened the season by maximising their opportunities in a challenging Qatar 1812km event to sit third in the standings. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished sixth in their No7 GR010 Hybrid, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa were fifth in the No8 sister car. 

The eight-race season moves to Italy for round two at a venue with fond memories for the team. Their first victory last year came in a weather-affected race in Imola, when the No7 GR010 Hybrid conquered the conditions to earn a win which kicked started the team’s challenge for both world titles. 

As the first of three European races, culminating in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, Imola is an important step in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s efforts to win for the sixth time at La Sarthe. 

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola has become one of motorsport’s most recognisable circuits since its opening in 1953. It has hosted World Championship endurance racing six times, including the series’s return to the WEC calendar last year after a 40-year absence, to replace Monza. 

A large and passionate crowd is expected to watch 18 Hypercars from eight manufacturers – Alpine, newcomers Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Peugeot and Porsche – do battle alongside 18 LMGT3 cars over the Easter weekend. 

On-track preparations begin on Friday with two 90-minute free practice sessions, before the starting grid is decided in qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday, from at 2.10pm BST. The Six Hours of Imola begins at noon on Sunday. 
 

Team quotes

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “We have good memories of Imola last year, which was our only victory for car No7. We had other chances to win during the season but at Imola we made the most of the changing weather conditions. It was easy to make a mistake, but we got our strategy right and drove well. I feel Imola last year really brought us together as a team because we came back from a disappointing result in Qatar by growing stronger together and finding the opportunity to win. This season we also faced some challenges in Qatar so I hope we can come back with a similar team performance in Imola, hopefully with better weather this time.”

Mike Conway (driver, car No7): “I’m looking forward to racing again at Imola, especially after our win last year. It’s a great, old-school circuit with a good mix of corners, but it’s also quite tight so overtaking is not easy. We saw last year how important it is to get the strategy right there, so that will be a big priority. After a short break since Qatar, now it feels like the season is really starting to ramp up and I can’t wait.”

Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “Imola last year was my first win with Toyota Gazoo Racing so it holds special memories for me. Our situation is similar to last season: we had a challenging start in Qatar but maximised our potential by executing a clean race and making the most of our opportunities. Hopefully last season’s result at Imola is a good omen and we can again fight at the front.”

Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “I enjoy racing in Italy, and Imola is a fantastic circuit which is fun to drive. It’s also a challenging track where getting the set-up and strategy right is particularly important, and that will be our focus in free practice. We need to extract the maximum performance from our cars, because we know the competition is strong, but we’re motivated, and we will keep pushing hard.”

Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “Even if the result in Qatar was not what we normally aim for, the execution from the whole team to score strong points despite the challenging circumstances shows what we are capable of. If we can repeat that performance in Imola we will be there or thereabouts at the chequered flag, scoring more big points to help us challenge for both world titles. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Ryo Hirakawa (driver, car No8): “I hope we can be more competitive in Imola compared to Qatar, which was quite a difficult weekend. The team has been working hard to prepare, and we saw last season that our GR010 Hybrid is competitive at Imola, so I am optimistic we can fight for the win. I’m excited to race again at Imola because it’s a traditional circuit and there are so many passionate fans in the grandstands to support us. I am sure we can give them an exciting race again.”

ENDS