Toyota, returning to success before Le Mans

Reigning champion team, Toyota did not start the 2022 season on the right foot. At Sebring last March, the Japanese manufacturer saw José Maria “Pechito” López sending the GR010 N°7 into the wall while the sister car the N°8 was unable to compete with theAlpine A480 No. 36, victorious for the first time in Hypercar.

Big OFF for @ pechito37 and @TGR_WEC. José is OK and has walked out of the car. #WEC #1000MSebring pic.twitter.com/1wlD0rvf3W

— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) March 18, 2022

It was with a bitter taste that Toyota left the United States almost a month ago to return to its European headquarters in Cologne (Germany). Back on the Old Continent, the teams got to work with determination “ to achieve a better result in the last race before the climax of the season WEC, 24 Hours of Le Mans. » In addition to the efforts made at the Colonial headquarters, the Japanese manufacturer set up shop in Portugal for a few days where it was able to conduct a series of tests on its GR010s.

« Since Sebring, which was a disappointing result for us, the whole team has strived to improve by working with the drivers, particularly during our test in Portimão earlier this month (from April), emphasizes Kamui Kobayashi, team principal and member of the N°7 contingent. It went well, despite the wet conditions at the start. We did a lot of laps as part of our endurance test, which is an important part of our preparation for Le Mans."

Beyond the 24 Hours of Le Mans (June 11-12), Toyota has been working towards the next stage of the WEC at Spa-Francorchamps (May 7) where victory is imperative after the disappointment at Sebring a few weeks ago. “ We also worked on some things for Spa, which should suit our car better than Sebring, where the bumps had a big impact on the car's balance and performance., pursues the man with the double hat among the Endurance world champions. We therefore expect to fight at the front and everyone is fully committed to getting our first victory of the season.."

On a circuit where it remains on 5 consecutive victories, the Japanese team has the perfect opportunity to relaunch itself in the championship and arrive at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the top of its form.

ALSO READ > Where is the stock of Goodyear tires as the 24 Hours of Le Mans approaches?