Toyota Gazoo Racing ready for fierce Fuji fight
Fuji Speedway, Toyota Gazoo Racing’s home circuit, hosts the penultimate round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) this weekend (28 September).
The 6 Hours of Fuji is the seventh round this year and gives the team an opportunity for a long-awaited first podium of a challenging season in front of their enthusiastic Japanese fans, partners and Toyota colleagues.
The team have an impressive record at the venue, with nine victories contributing to 15 podiums from the 11 WEC races there since the series returned in 2012.
Competing in a field of 18 Hypercars from eight manufacturers, the team’s two GR010 Hybrids face a tough task to post a top-three finish for the first time since the 2024 season finale in Bahrain. This was highlighted in Austin two weeks ago, when challenging conditions saw neither car able to fight at the front.
Mike Conway returns to the No7 car line-up alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries after recovering from the training injury which caused him to miss the Austin race. In the No8 car, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa will aim for a strong home result.
Fuji Speedway, located around 60 miles west of Tokyo, is the home circuit for Toyota Gazoo Racing, close to the Higashi-Fuji Technical Center where the high-performance hybrid powertrain in the GR010 Hybrid is designed, developed and built. Many staff from Higashi-Fuji will join a large contingent of Toyota employees to show their support for the team throughout the weekend.
The historic circuit is characterised by a 0.9-mile start-finish straight where cars exceed 195mph, and this demands strong top speed and braking stability into turn one. In contrast, the tight and technical third sector requires aerodynamic and mechanical grip, as well as traction out of the corners.
To meet Fuji Speedway’s complex set-up challenges, the team and drivers have conducted simulator sessions at their base in Cologne, Germany. The first on-track opportunity to optimise car settings for the 2.8-mile circuit comes in Friday’s two free practice sessions. Hypercar qualifying begins at 3pm local time (7am BST) on Saturday, setting the grid for Sunday’s race, which gets underway at 11am (3am BST).
Team quotes
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “After Le Mans, this is our most important race and one where we really want to perform well. So far this year, we have been struggling but I hope we can achieve something special on our home track because we have been quite strong there in the past. We will perform to our maximum and hopefully our Japanese fans will be able to enjoy an exciting weekend and a great result.”
Mike Conway (driver, car No7): “It was very frustrating to miss the last round in Austin. But my recovery has been going well. I did a simulator session last week to prepare and everything felt okay, so I’m looking forward to getting back in the car in Fuji. It’s such a special race for everyone at Toyota Gazoo Racing. I’m really pleased that I have the chance to meet our Japanese supporters and Toyota colleagues again.”
Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “We are always excited to come back to Japan, especially because we get to spend time meeting our partners and Toyota colleagues before the race weekend. We want to make our home crowd proud of our performance so we will be giving everything to extract the maximum from our package. We know it will be challenging, as always in WEC, but I am looking forward to it.”
Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “Fuji is a big race for us. We really want to do well so obviously we put a lot of effort into the preparation and hopefully that will help us to succeed. We have been strong at Fuji in the past and we won this race many times, so we have a good understanding of what’s needed to succeed. It can be quite hot and humid, and sometimes the rain has been a factor too, so we need to be ready to adapt. I’m looking forward to a great weekend with lots of fans. We really want to make them happy.”
Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “As every year, we are very excited to go back to Fuji. We see lots of fans and meet many of our partners. Plus, it’s the only chance for many of our Toyota colleagues to visit a WEC race, which is great for all of us. I always look forward to this trip not only for the race itself, but for the food, the culture and the support we receive. We are going there with one goal; to win our home race.”
Ryo Hirakawa (driver, car No8): “Fuji is not only a home race for the team, it’s also a home track for me as well so that makes it even more special. Last year we faced a challenging race and the result was disappointing. I am sure the competition will be intense this year, but we are fighting hard to get a better result. We all enjoy meeting our fans and we’re so happy that they come to support us at the track, so we will be giving everything to give them a race to remember.”
ENDS
