WEC

Toyota, the calm before the storm?

At the end of the two-day Sebring Prologue, Toyota's Hypercars proved to be discreet, behind the competition. But nothing to worry about for the reigning world champion team, which is preparing to defend its property this weekend in Florida.

Published on 14/03/2022 à 12:39

Tom Viala

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Toyota, the calm before the storm?

The 2022 world endurance championship begins this Friday at Sebring where the Toyotas are, like every year, the favorites - Photo Francois Flamand / DPPI

It was a discreet start to the 2022 campaign, to say the least. Toyota and its formidable Hypercars. During the traditional pre-season Prologue in Sebring (United States), the Japanese brand's objectives were certainly elsewhere. With the return of WEC in Florida after two years of absence, TGR once again advances as the ultimate favorite in the category, where only Alpine and Glickenhaus are competitors. And for the drivers of the No. 7, reigning world champion, and the No. 8, there is no panic on board despite the good results posted by the French machine.

“It's good to be back and nice to start a new season with new challenges and new expectations, recounts Jose Maria Lopez, one of the three drivers of the #7. I'm also happy to come back to Sebring after a few years. It’s always a special place to start the season and I really enjoy it. I'm a little surprised by the pace of some of our rivals, but that's part of the game. We'll try to squeeze the most out of our car and see what happens. It's still early, but it looks like it's going to be a very close race. »

Indeed, Alpine monopolized the first places on the timesheet during the last three sessions of the Prologue – twice second, once third – far ahead of the Toyotas. But as announced by the Japanese firm, the objective did not lie in the quest for absolute chronos. On a track known for its somewhat bumpy surface, the TGR worked on the distribution and balance of its engine performances, where the hybrid will take a more important place, as well as on the equally influential settings of its suspensions. .

Only ninth and fifteenth at the end of these two days of testing, the No. 7 and No. 8 should not stay in this position for long, while the real Florida weekend begins on Wednesday with the test sessions. free.

“These two days were good in terms of reliability. It's such a bumpy circuit, so from that point of view I'm happy to see how the GR010 adapted to the circuit, confided the Swiss pilot Sébastien Buemi, member of car no. 8. It looks like it will be difficult to fight for victory because the LMP2s are very fast here. We will study the data now and try to improve the car in every possible way. To be honest I'm quite happy with how things went, it's just that now we need to optimize what we have and go into the race weekend as well prepared as possible. »

The appointment is therefore made for these 1000 Miles of Sebring, where free practice on Wednesday will precede qualifying on Thursday, before the big launch of this 2022 endurance season, Friday noon, local time. And that promises!

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