"Second is the first of the losers": Toyota remains combative after an excellent Hyperpole at Imola

Eleven thousandths, that's what was missing from the Toyota No. 8 to secure the first pole position of the 2026 World Championship seasonEndurance, in Imola. Behind the Classic Ferrari for sale Driving car number 51 for Antonio Giovinazzi, Ryo Hirakawa delivered a major performance for a car that is taking to the track for the first time against the competition this week, following a private testing program this winter. Toyota Racing's technical director, David Floury, was impressed by the Japanese driver, even though, of course, second place isn't what the manufacturers are fighting for!

“Second place is the first of the losers! It’s a bit frustrating, yes, but Ryo did a superb lap, and Ferrari is very strong, and that will surely be the case on Sunday and throughout the season. Eleven thousandths of a second is nothing, but still, I think they are very strong. From what we’ve seen, I think they are clearly the favorites. The fact is that we ran more on mediums than softs during the week, so we were certainly less prepared than our rivals in Hyperpole. Nevertheless, I don’t think there’s much to be gained from the lap he (Hirakawa) did; he put everything together, he was exceptional.”

After a season in which Toyota neither won the 24 Hours of Le Mans nor the world title (a first since 2017), the Japanese manufacturer is hungry for revenge in 2026, while not minimizing the previous season, which ended with a second place in the manufacturers' championship and a victory in the last round of the season, the 8 Hours of Bahrain.

“When you race, it’s clearly to win, so we’re determined to achieve that. Last year, we still finished second in the constructors’ championship, and when you see the level of competition, that’s worth far more than titles in other circumstances. There’s no shame in it; we didn’t have the season we hoped for, but we weren’t bad either. We made mistakes we shouldn’t have made, especially in Austin and Fuji, and we’re still learning. Even with experience, you keep learning; you have to stay humble. We’ve worked hard, not just on the car. We have stability within the team, but we’ve tried to develop our approach, our processes, and we’ve been working tirelessly since last year. Here too, it’s all coming together step by step.”

Ryo Hirakawa, for his part, was also satisfied with his Hyperpole performance, after a Q1 where things didn't go quite as well: “It was a good battle. In Q1, it wasn’t a great lap from me, but in Hyperpole we managed to put everything together and improve the final little adjustments. I also made a good step forward in my driving. I’m happy to be second, even if there’s inevitably a bit of frustration. We’re still learning the car and the tires, so I think there’s room for some great improvements.”

ALSO READ > 6 Hours of Imola: Giovinazzi gives Ferrari pole position ahead of surprise Toyota, Peugeot on the second row

Interview by Valentin Glo, in Imola (Italy)