TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has reignited its 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title challenge with a dramatic win at the 6 Hours of São Paulo.
The race at Interlagos saw World Champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa clinch their first victory of the season in the #8 GR010 HYBRID.
This victory is particularly poignant as it comes at the very venue where Toyota achieved its first-ever hybrid-powered WEC victory back in 2012.
The pole position-winning #7 GR010 HYBRID, driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries, faced a setback but managed a remarkable recovery to secure fourth place, earning 12 crucial World Championship points.
A flawless performance, strategic teamwork, and superior tyre management contributed to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s second win of the year. This triumph narrows the gap to leaders Porsche to just four points in the manufacturers’ standings, with three races remaining in the season.
The race began with an all-Toyota front row leading the pack. Mike Conway made a clean start, quickly building a lead over the chasing competitors, while Brendon Hartley, despite running wide into the first turn, settled into second place.
Mike carefully managed his medium compound tyres in the hot conditions, maintaining his lead while navigating through traffic. By the end of the first hour, he had an 11-second advantage over Brendon, who was holding off the #5 Porsche.
However, the #7’s control was interrupted by a drive-through penalty for a full course yellow infringement, erasing Mike’s lead. A more significant issue arose in the third hour when a control unit required repairs, dropping Nyck de Vries to 18th place.
Meanwhile, Ryo Hirakawa took over the #8 and soon moved to the front, extending the lead to 30 seconds by half distance. A strategic tyre change, replacing only the right-side tyres, helped maintain tyre temperature and manage degradation.
Ryo’s impressive stint on his Interlagos debut built a 40-second lead before handing over to Sébastien Buemi. Nyck’s spirited drive brought the #7 back into contention, and Kamui Kobayashi took over for the final two stints.
Sébastien maintained the #8’s lead, making a final fuel stop with an hour remaining and resuming with a comfortable margin. He crossed the finish line 1 minute and 8.811 seconds ahead of the #6 Porsche.
The #7’s comeback continued with Kamui Kobayashi overtaking the #51 Ferrari in the last five minutes, securing fourth place.
After a successful outing in South America, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing now looks to continue its momentum in North America.
The next race, the Lone Star Le Mans, will take place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 1. The team remains focused on retaining its World Championship titles.