– Since the rebirth of the World Championship in 2012, Toyota has been the constant in the paddock. While competitors came, went, and sometimes returned, Toyota remained loyal to the series – despite changes in the automotive industry and a global pandemic.
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The path, however, was anything but easy. The Japanese brand had to endure years of setbacks before becoming an almost unbeatable force. Even though the new Hypercar era has intensified the competition and Ferrari is currently the benchmark, Toyota remains one of the most formidable teams on the grid.
“When we started the program, I never would have dreamed that we would carry it out for so long and so successfully,” says Kazuki Nakajima, who was a driver at the first WEC race and is now the team’s vice chairman.
Photo series: 100th race for Toyota: Highlights from 14 years of WEC
He gives special thanks to Akio Toyoda, who is driving motorsport activities forward massively. But the focus is forward-looking: The topic of hydrogen plays a central role for Toyota to continue using the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a platform for future technologies.
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By far, the Le Mans drama of 2016 stands out, one of the most defining moments in motorsport history. “Picking that one is of course easy. That was certainly the toughest moment on our entire journey. But it was also a turning point for us. It gave us the confidence that we deserve to win Le Mans as a team. That was perhaps the gamechanger,” says the three-time Le Mans winner.
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In Imola, Toyota is entering the Toyota TR010 Hybrid for the first time, a heavily revised version of the GR010 Hybrid. The photo series provides an overview of the most important stages of the 14-year journey. A hybrid system was used in all vehicles.
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