Toyota has outlined its aims for the 2026 World Endurance Championship, stating it needs to finish its Le Mans 24 Hours victory drought and cut back operational errors.
As soon as the benchmark within the WEC’s high division, Toyota went the primary seven rounds of the 2025 season with out scoring a race win, earlier than lastly breaking by within the season finale in Bahrain.
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It’s now three years because the marque final received Le Mans and two because it claimed the drivers’ title, whereas 2025 marked the primary time it didn’t win the producers’ title within the Hypercar period.
However the Japanese producer is conscious of its shortcomings and has developed a closely revised model of its Le Mans Hypercar, underneath the TR010 Hybrid title.
It’s the third main evolution of the automotive that initially debuted because the GR010 Hybrid in 2021, with a selected focus made on aerodynamics to maximise its pace underneath the Stability of Efficiency framework.
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vice-president admitted that the model has been pissed off by its outcomes at La Sarthe lately, however is assured the TR010 Hybrid may help reverse that development.
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima
“The most important goal is clearly to win Le Mans,” Nakajima advised Motorsport.com. “After three years of irritating ends in Le Mans, that is clearly the largest goal, in addition to profitable the championship, as a result of we at all times search for these two huge targets.
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“But when I’ve to fee between two, I believe Le Mans comes first precedence.”
Toyota was lengthy considered the strongest operational outfit within the WEC, typically profitable races by superior execution – at the same time as competitors intensified within the Hypercar period.
However the Cologne-based staff’s traditional medical strategy faltered on a number of events in 2025, because it tried to beat what it felt was an unfavourable BoP at occasions.
The Lone Star Le Mans spherical proved significantly pricey, with Toyota making a collection of errors, together with an ill-timed name to suit slick tyres on the #7 GR010 Hybrid whereas the observe was nonetheless damp late within the race.
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Nakajima admitted that the staff hasn’t been on high of its recreation this yr and has made addressing this weak point a precedence for 2025.
“The staff’s execution like technique, pit cease, drivers’ efficiency, not making errors and issues like that, these are an enormous a part of the efficiency issue within the race,” he stated. “We simply must concentrate on this half.
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“Now we have to confess that we now have not been on the degree that we’re aiming for by way of staff execution this yr [2025].
“In some races, we actually carried out effectively as a staff however in some [other] races, we made errors. So, as a staff we nonetheless want to enhance ourselves, and it is a clear goal for subsequent yr.”
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