Toyota still has "work to do" after the Prologue at Imola

After fourteen years in the premier category of the world championshipEnduranceThe thrill of the first time can still be felt. Toyota This proves it, arriving in Imola with two major evolutions of its Hypercar, which abandons the name GR010 for the TR010 Hybrid, which also reflects the change of name of the team, which went from Toyota Gazoo Racing to Toyota Racing.

As the Japanese manufacturer prepares to experience its hundredth race in WEC (all rounds in history except for the first two in 2012, and all contested with hybrid engines), the Imola Prologue provided more information on a new platform on which they will try to build the same successes as in recent years (Toyota notably won the [race] five times consecutively). 24 Hours of Le Mans).

"It was great to be back, especially with all the Hypercars on the track.", has indicated Kamui Kobayashi, Team Principal and driver of car #7. "It helps us get an idea of ​​our performance level. We still have work to do. The car is handling well, we need to gain a few seconds per lap, but for now, I'm satisfied. We'll use what we learned today and try to put everything in place for the weekend."

The two TR010s indeed found themselves in the middle of the standings during the two Prologue sessions, far from the Classic Ferrari for salewho dominated the top of the timesheets, achieving a 1-2-3 finish each time. However, it is difficult to know what programs each team had planned during these two long practice sessions (eight hours of track time in total), especially in changing conditions as was the case on Tuesday.

"It was great to be back, because it feels like forever since Bahrain.", he declared Sébastien Buemi, driver of car #8. “Of course, we’ve been doing private testing, but it’s nice to be here with the other Hypercars. The conditions were challenging, and we now have a lot of data to analyze. I’m looking forward to spending time with the engineers over the next few days to optimize the car, as I think we have a good base to work from.”

Can Toyota consistently challenge for the top positions again, having only won once last year, namely at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the championship finale? The first answers will come this Friday with two free practice sessions.

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