Toyota dreams of victory again

After a difficult 2015 season where Toyota has not signed a single victory, the Asian brand hopes to be able to be in the fight for first place again with its new TS050 Hybrid powered by a 6l V2,4 turbo with direct injection and a battery system in the 8MJ category.

This new LMP1 will have to face the new Audi R18 and the Porsche 919 Hybrid reigning champion which has been optimized for the new season.

“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