Lone Star Le Mans: Race – Heartbreak for Toyota Racing in Austin

Toyota Racing was denied victory in the closing minutes of a dramatic Lone Star Le Mans, round five of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Austin, Texas.

Brave overtaking, bold strategy and strong teamwork saw Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries comfortably lead the race, when a hydraulic issue forced the No7 TR010 Hybrid into retirement with just 11 minutes to go.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and RyōHirakawa fought for much of the race for a podium in their No8 TR010 HYBRID before suffering their own misfortune, prior to an exciting fightback which earned sixth.

Despite missing out on a better result, Toyota Racing nevertheless extended its lead in the manufacturers’ World Championship to nine points. The No7 crew remains tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings with three races remaining, while the No8 crew has closed to within 11 points.

From seventh and ninth on the grid, Nyck and Sébastien moved into the top six in the early laps before adopting different fuel strategies. The No8 made its first pit stop early to gain time on a clear track, and both ran in the top three in the first two hours.

A safety car at the midway point reset the strategies and reduced the gaps. After the restart, Nyck made three bold overtakes into turn one to battle into the lead. Kamui took over and held the lead under pressure from the two Alpines approaching the last hour.

The No8 was a strong podium contender and Ryōranthird with 90 minutes remaining, until a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding dropped him to seventh. Further misfortune was created by a virtual safety car (VSC) soon after. Having taken a fuel stop under racing conditions moments earlier, the No8 dropped to 14th when its rivals gained time by pitting under the VSC.

A safety car automatically followed and, when the race resumed with 45 minutes to go, Nyck set new fastest laps to build a gap at the front. He was within touching distance of victory when a hydraulic issue affected his power steering and forced the No7 into the garage with just 11 minutes to go.

Sébastien recovered some points for the team with a determined final stint. He delivered an overtaking masterclass, passing multiple rivals to move back into the points and finish sixth.

Toyota Racing will aim to bounce back from the disappointment at its home race in three weeks. The 6 Hours of Fuji takes place on 27 September.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “It was a very unfortunate race for us. We had been strong all the way through. For almost six hours we had a great race. Obviously when you lose the hydraulics, there is nothing you can do. We had to retire the car. It was a big opportunity for us to score a lot of points, so obviously it’s tough to take. But this is endurance racing. We need to learn and improve so we can come back stronger for our home race.”

Mike Conway (driver, car No7): “That was not the way we envisioned the end of the race. Everything was looking good until those last few minutes. We’re all gutted because everyone did a great job and I think we deserved the win. Luckily our competition for the World Championship didn’t score well either, so that’s the only small consolation.”

Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “Obviously that was a very sad end to a great day. We really gave it our all and the team executed extremely well. We had a great car, with strong pace and we were in a perfect position going into the last few minutes. Unfortunately, this is a technical sport and that let us down today.”

Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “It was a really sad day for us because the speed was there. We did the best we could in the end and salvaged a few points, but it’s really a big opportunity missed. The positive thing is that the car was very fast, but it’s always frustrating when you lose a good result like that. We’ll work hard and hopefully have a better race in Fuji.”

Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “That was a brutal finish for the team. We definitely had the pace to have two cars on the podium today, so it hurts to give it away. Séb did a great last stint to bring our car back to sixth but I’m massively disappointed for the team that car No7 had the issue when it was in a dominant position to take the victory.”

Ryō Hirakawa (driver, car No8): “We had the pace, but it wasn’t our day. Unfortunately, when I got in the car for my stint, there was a system issue which cost time to pull away, then caused an over-speed in the pit lane so we got a drive-through. I feel really sorry for what happened to car No7. This was not our race, but also, we need to work hard to improve so we don’t experience this again. The next race is Fuji, where we want to be back on the podium.”