TOYOTA GAZOO Racing secured a vital win at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, reigniting their 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) aspirations in a thrilling race at Interlagos. The #8 GR010 HYBRID, driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, took the checkered flag after a flawless performance, marking their first win of the season.
The race, witnessed by a fervent crowd of 73,205, saw the #8 car maintain a consistent pace throughout, capitalizing on a superior tire strategy to overcome the challenging Interlagos circuit. “It is an amazing day for us on car #8, winning a race for the first time this year,” said a jubilant Sébastien Buemi. “We had a great car. Tyre management was one of our strengths, particularly the fact we could use the medium compound throughout the race which really helped us have good pace.”
The victory, echoing Toyota’s first-ever hybrid-powered WEC win at the same venue in 2012, brings the team within striking distance of leaders Porsche in the manufacturers’ standings, trailing by just four points with three races left.
The #7 GR010 HYBRID, piloted by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries, started from pole position but faced setbacks due to a technical issue requiring a lengthy pit stop. Despite dropping down the order, a spirited drive saw them claw their way back to finish fourth, salvaging valuable championship points.
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“We had such a strong car all day,” lamented Mike Conway. “We had really good tire wear at that point and thought we were looking good. But at the end of my stint, we started to notice the issue.”
The team’s performance in Brazil injects a much-needed boost to their championship hopes. They now set their sights on the Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on September 1st.
6 Hours of São Paulo – Result
1st: #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – 236 laps
2nd: #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) – +1min 8.811secs
3rd: #5 Porsche Penske (Campbell/Christensen/Makowiecki) – +1min 15.993secs
4th: #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing – +1min 23.571secs
5th: #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) – +1min 27.395secs
6th: #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) – +1 lap