Toyota will go into the 2025 World Endurance Championship with an unchanged driver line-up.
The Japanese automobile maker’s #7 Toyota GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar will pushed by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries for a second consecutive season, whereas in #8 Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa keep collectively for a fourth season.
Kobayashi, who additionally acts as crew principal of the Toyota Gazoo Racing WEC squad, confused the significance of what he described as “a constant line-up of drivers who perceive how one can work collectively”.
“We have now a prime driver line-up in each automobiles, and I’m blissful to be a part of it once more in 2025,” he mentioned.
“The crew spirit and co-operation amongst all of the drivers, and the crew on the whole, grows with each race and each season.”
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa
Photograph by: Shameem Fahath
He added that Toyota has loved “some good outcomes this 12 months”, a reference to its three race wins and victory within the Hypercar producers’ championship, however that “as a crew we repeatedly push ourselves to carry out even higher at each occasion”.
De Vries labelled his 2024 marketing campaign with Toyota as “a great first season”.
“We have now had ups and downs however typically it has been an amazing expertise,” he mentioned.
“I’m trying ahead to being a part of this crew in 2025, it’s a true pleasure and honour.”
The Dutch driver belatedly joined Toyota instead of Jose Maria Lopez firstly of this 12 months having initially been slated to race the #7 automobile in 2023 previous to his brief stint in System 1 with AlphaTauri.
Conway will probably be enterprise his tenth season as a full-time member of the Toyota WEC squad, whereas Buemi maintains an unbroken run with the crew that stretches again to its return to top-flight sportscar racing on the rebirth of the WEC in 2012.
Toyota’s announcement of its driver line-up for its 2025 assault on the Hypercar class on Wednesday made no reference to Ritomo Miyata, who crammed the take a look at and reserve position this 12 months.
The Japanese driver was neglected for the Le Mans 24 Hours WEC blue riband in June when Conway was unable to compete because of accidents sustained in a biking accident.
Toyota as an alternative introduced Lopez again to fill the seat alongside Kobayashi and de Vries.
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