TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims a sixth win at Le Mans

WECHyperCar

Jun 6

With its proven GR010 HYBRID race cars, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims to win for the sixth time at La Sarthe and strengthen its bid for the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) titles. Le Mans offers double points, which can accelerate the team’s World Championship challenge. It currently sits second in the manufacturers’ standings after maintaining a 100% points-scoring run in the season’s opening three rounds, despite difficult circumstances.

📷© Courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Toyota #7 unique livery for 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025

40 years of competition in Le Mans 24 Hours

Toyota’s 40 years of competition in the Le Mans 24 Hours will be celebrated with a unique livery of the #7 GR010 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries will carry a red and white livery inspired by the TS020 which participated in 1998 and 1999.

#7 Toyota unique livery — 📷© Courtesy of Toyota Gazoo Racing. Toyota #7 unique livery for 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025.

Since its first official entry at Le Mans in 1985 and prior to this year’s event, a total of 61 Toyota cars have competed at La Sarthe, in 26 editions of the Le Mans 24 Hours, earning five wins, 18 podiums and eight pole positions. Via those entries, 62 drivers from 16 different nationalities have played their part in establishing Toyota’s Le Mans heritage.

A TOYOTA GAZOO Racing dedicated website, https://toyotagazooracing.com/wec/special/2025/24h-lemans/ offers fans from around the world the opportunity to experience its Le Mans history and challenge in greater detail, including information about the team, its 40 years at La Sarthe.

📷© Luc Warnotte at Lusail. P6 for #7 Toyota while sister #8 ended fifth..

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “This is the 40th anniversary of Toyota’s first Le Mans so we have brought back the iconic TS020 livery. When I saw it, I thought, wow, this looks really cool. I really love it, and I hope everyone enjoys it. This 40th anniversary is important because we are competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours not only to challenge for the win, but to develop technology. Our first Le Mans were with a road car combustion engine, then dedicated race engines, now the hybrid system and in the future, there will be hydrogen. So, we are here to develop technology and, this year, we are definitely aiming for the win.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “I can’t wait to get back on track at Le Mans, especially after missing the race last year due to injury. Luckily the time has passed really quickly, and I’m really excited for the week ahead. As always, Le Mans is the main focus of our year, and we develop and focus just for this race, so it is a huge week for our team. I am excited, the team is excited and it’s the 40th anniversary of Toyota’s first Le Mans so it is going to be something special.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “When I think about Le Mans, I think about the history, how prestigious and important this race is. We remember who won Le Mans, and when you look back over the decades there are so many great names, so to become part of that is a dream. It’s a race which is extremely difficult; to win Le Mans is hard, that’s why it’s so special. Finishing second last year was a great result but after such a long race, with so many different emotions, it felt bitter-sweet, so we want to put that right this year.”

#8 toyota — 📷© Luc Warnotte at Imola: second P5 in a row for #8 Toyota while sister # 7 ended seventh.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “Le Mans is clearly the most important race of the season for us and it’s always a pleasure to go there. There is a mix of special emotions with this race. There’s a bit of stress as well as the excitement and determination to do well. It will be 24 very intense hours when the race starts on Saturday, but I have seen the team working very hard for many months to give us the best possible chance. Hopefully we will be able to get back on the top step of the podium.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “We are all pumped up for Le Mans. It’s Toyota’s 40th anniversary year and we’re ready. We have been working almost since the day after last year’s Le Mans and we want to be fighting for victory, that’s the goal. We know there is a big task ahead of us and we need to execute each step perfectly to be up there at the front. But I know the team has worked so hard for this, and we’ve already shown in the first three races how we can extract the maximum performance from our package, so we’re ready to go.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “Le Mans is finally here and it’s a very special year for us. Le Mans is always a great experience, and it’s always a pleasure to drive on this fantastic circuit in front of so many fans, but this year there is even more to enjoy because of the 40th anniversary for Toyota. We didn’t win last year despite the big fight, but we are ready to go for the win again. It’s going to be a tough battle, and it will not be easy, but we are ready. We have done lots of preparation and we are looking forward to this week. We hope to be fighting for the win.”

Toyota #8 — 📷© Luc Warnotte at Spa-Francorchamps. P4 for #8 Toyota while sister # 7 ended seventh.

Schedule

The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 schedule is packed. After the traditional Scrutineering in downtown Le Mans (June 6–7), the PEUGEOT 9X8s will hit the track on Sunday, June 8, for the Test Day (six hours of running). They return to the 13.626 km circuit on Wednesday evening, June 11, for Free Practice and Qualifying. The next day, the top 15 Hypercars will compete in Hyperpole 1 (20 minutes), with the best 10 advancing to Hyperpole 2 (15 minutes). The race will start on Saturday, June 14, at 4:00 p.m., waved off by tennis legend Roger Federer.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims a sixth win at Le Mans

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