Title showdown beckons for Toyota Gazoo Racing
Toyota Gazoo Racing are ready for an FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title showdown when a rollercoaster 2024 season reaches its climax in the 8 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday (2 November).
The team head into the season’s eighth and final race with a mission to retain their manufacturers’ World Championship against strong competition from Ferrari and Porsche. In the seven races so far, Toyota Gazoo Racing have earned two victories; a win in Bahrain will guarantee them the title for a sixth successive season.
Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries retain a slim chance of the drivers’ title but to do so, they must win the race, alongside No7 GR010 Hybrid team-mate Mike Conway, and hope the No6 Porsche crew fail to score points. Last year’s Bahrain winners and outgoing drivers’ World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa will fight for their second win of the season in their No8 GR010 Hybrid in Saturday’s race, which begins in daylight and ends after sunset.
Toyota Gazoo Racing have a formidable record at the Bahrain International Circuit, having won the last seven WEC races there, including six consecutive one-two finishes. In total they have won nine of their 12 races in the island kingdom, earning six pole positions and five front-row lock-outs.
The challenge is tougher than ever this year against an 18-strong Hypercar field including title rivals Ferrari and Porsche, who are both are in the fight for the drivers’ and manufacturers’ crowns. Alpine, BMW, Cadillac and Peugeot showed speed at the last round at Fuji Speedway and are expected to join an exciting battle for honours.
The 3.3-mile Bahrain International Circuit is the traditional venue for WEC’s season finale, having hosted the last race in eight of the 11 seasons since the championship’s return in 2012. Its 15-turn lay-out features a mix of high-speed and slower corners and is renowned for being abrasive with high grip levels, creating a particular challenge in terms of tyre management.
Practice begins on Thursday with two 90-minute sessions, one in daylight and the other under lights, and concludes on Friday. The grid will be decided during the qualifying and Hyperpole sessions, starting at 4.40pm local time (1.40pm GMT) on Friday, while the 8 Hours of Bahrain starts at 1pm (GMT) on Saturday.
The track action continues on Sunday with the traditional rookie test, when Esteban Masson will drive a GR010 Hybrid for the first time as part of the team’s commitment to giving opportunities to young, upcoming drivers. The 20-year-old Frenchman has impressed this season driving the No87 Lexus RC F LMGT3 entered by the AKKODIS ASP Team in WEC’s LMGT3 category. If Toyota Gazoo Racing win the manufacturers’ title, 21-year-old European Le Mans Series racer Reshad de Gerus will also test a GR010 Hybrid as the WEC-nominated rookie.
Team quotes
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car No7): “As a team we have enjoyed some great moments as well also some difficult ones, like the last race at Fuji Speedway. The competition has been incredibly tough all season but thanks to the big effort from everyone, we go into the last race with the destiny of the manufacturers’ World Championship still in our control. We know that a win will give us the title so that is our target, and everyone will give their maximum to achieve it. We need a perfect weekend and we’re ready for the challenge.”
Mike Conway (driver, car No7): “I enjoy racing in Bahrain. It’s a fun track to drive and a place which has given me some great memories; I won my first race with Toyota back in 2014 as well as my two drivers’ titles there. As a team we also have a successful record in Bahrain and we want to keep that going this year, even though we expect another close fight because Porsche and Ferrari will be strong again. We’ll have to be at the top of our game, but we’ve prepared well and we’re looking forward to it.”
Nyck de Vries (driver, car No7): “It’s the final race of my first season as a Toyota Gazoo Racing race driver and we still have the manufacturers’ World Championship to fight for so I can’t wait for Bahrain. I know the track well from other series and I tested a TS050 Hybrid there back in 2019 during the rookie test, which kind of started my story with the team. So, it’s nice to be going back there as a Toyota race driver. Fuji was tough for us, but it was another strong team effort and we’re ready to go again.”
Sébastien Buemi (driver, car No8): “I always enjoy going to Bahrain. It’s a great circuit, with nice facilities and good weather, plus some of my family live there so it almost feels like a home race. The circuit is fun, particularly the high-speed section from turn five, because it’s fast and flowing before the hairpin, where there’s a chance to overtake. It’s an unusual race because it runs into the night, so the temperature changes quite a bit. That makes it more challenging to find the right set-up so we will work closely on that in practice.”
Brendon Hartley (driver, car No8): “Bahrain is the last race of an exciting season, and we go there fighting for the manufacturers’ World Championship, which is one of the team’s big targets every year. Historically we have gone well in Bahrain and the circuit always seemed to suit our car, so hopefully that’s a positive sign for the coming week. It’s a longer race than normal so it’s more important than ever to execute a clean race and get our strategies right. I know the whole team have worked hard to prepare and we can’t wait to get started.”
Ryo Hirakawa (driver, car No8): “Our aim in Bahrain is to win the race and therefore the World Championship but it will not be easy. Our competitors were strong at Fuji, and we expect another challenging race, but we are fighting as hard as possible, and we will not give up. We have to concentrate fully all weekend to get the maximum performance from our car. If we do that, we have a chance, so we will keep pushing to end the season on a high and give our all supporters and partners a result to cheer.”
ENDS
