Toyota dreams of victory again

Après une saison 2015 difficile où Toyota n’a pas signé la moindre victoire, la marque asiatique espère pouvoir être de nouveau en lutte pour la première place avec sa nouvelle TS050 Hybrid motorisée par un V6 2,4l turbo à injection directe et un système de batterie dans la catégorie 8MJ.

Cette nouvelle LMP1 devra faire face à la nouvelle Audi R18 et à la Porsche 919 Hybrid championne en titre qui a été optimisée pour la nouvelle saison.

“I am happy that the season of WEC finally starts. We had a difficult season in 2015 and I have been impatiently awaiting the debut of the TS050 Hybrid since the last race of the season”, recognized Toshio Sato, the president of the team. “It's a completely new car that still needs to improve in performance and reliability, but we should get back to the front. »

After taking the last step of the podium last year, the crew of the No. 5 will aim for a better result even if uncertainty remains in the face of the progress of the competition.

“The new car looks good”, confirmed Anthony Davidson. “We have made many changes compared to last year and we have already noticed progress in terms of performance. Even if we hope to win, we still don't know our level of competitiveness until the race. »

« The weather is often the main problem to deal with at Silverstone”, highlighted Sébastien Buemi. “It’s still the start of the year and conditions can change quickly. You will need to adopt a good strategy when selecting tires. This unpredictable weather can have a big influence on the results. »

The crew of No. 6 will have an additional parameter to manage with the start of Kamui Kobayashi who replaces Alex Wurz.

“I know the Silverstone circuit well with the F1 and GP2, but it will be the first time that I will drive an LMP1 on this track”, recalled the Japanese. “It will be really nice to drive the TS050 Hybrid on this fast-cornering track. I will have to learn to manage traffic behind the wheel of an LMP1, but the track offers a lot of overtaking opportunities. I am very confident after the tests. »

Discover the AUTOhebdo WEC Guide available from Monday in digital version on all platforms and from Wednesday on newsstands.

Jacques-Armand Dupuis