For Hartley, Toyota approaches Le Mans with confidence, but leaves Ferrari as favorite

Undefeated from 2018 to 2022, the team Toyota suffered two consecutive defeats in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a test which has crowned Classic Ferrari for sale and in 2023 2024. Brendon Hartley, driver of the number 8 and three-time winner in Sarthe, believes that his team has the means to return to the top step of the podium this year.

However, the start of Toyota's season in the World ChampionshipEndurance would not seem to point towards such a return to the lead, since the Japanese machines have not yet reached the podium. A closer look at the results and the progress of the first three races of the season, however, shows GR010s particularly fast in the race, and whose engineers and mechanics have perfectly taken the measure of the elements. Enough to give confidence to the New Zealand rider.

“We’re coming into this race pretty confident. On paper, two fifth-place finishes and a fourth-place finish aren’t great results by Toyota’s very high standards. These were races where we executed really well. We didn’t have the pace to win or finish on the podium, so I feel like coming here fourth in the championship with the #8 car… I feel like we’ve had a really good start to the year. It’s good to have a bit of confidence going into this race.”

Operations, Toyota's strength

In the competition over the past two years, Toyota has known it can rely on rock-solid operational management. However, there's no question of losing the humility typical of Japanese teams, especially in a year that promises to be particularly close, and where several manufacturers could be at the forefront.

“We have shown since the beginning of the Hypercar era that we manage races very well. The other teams have made progress, but we are coming off three full races in terms of operations. We have a lot of experience: the drivers, the team, the engineers. This advantage is diminishing, of course, as everyone knows their cars and the championship better and better. I don't want to say that we are the best in every area because that's not true, and we have a lot of respect for all our rivals. I think there are many more than 12 cars that can win. We saw it in the races last year; there are a lot of manufacturers that are a threat to us.”

Unsurprisingly, it is Ferrari that is Toyota's main rival for the former driver of Formula 1 : “Over the long runs, the Ferraris look the fastest, so we continue to work very hard. Their pace over the long runs, and since the beginning of the year, is what makes me say they are the fastest. They have made progress compared to last year, that's clear. They have updates to their car, not us, I think we have made good steps forward in terms of set-up and understanding the car. I expect that to be the case for everyone. We had a very clean day on Sunday, we are in the fight, but everyone seems to agree that Ferrari is in good shape. We think we are in the fight, and Le Mans is not only about pure speed, you also have to execute a perfect race. Even with the best car, it is by no means a guarantee of finishing on the top step of the podium. We are confident.”

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