Toyota will end its participation in NHRA drag racing after the 2025 season. “Our NHRA Drag Racing involvement has brought much success and pride across our entire organization,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager, motorsports, Toyota Motor North …
Toyota will end its participation in NHRA drag racing after the 2025 season.
“Our NHRA Drag Racing involvement has brought much success and pride across our entire organization,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager, motorsports, Toyota Motor North America. “Our NHRA drivers and teams have truly become part of our Toyota family. We look forward to competing for more wins and championships with our supported teams in the upcoming season, and we will work diligently along the way to make sure each team and driver have the tools necessary to compete at the highest level for the years to come.”
Toyota entered the sport in 2002 and won for the first time in March 2004. In the more than two decades since, Toyota has celebrated over 200 race wins, 12 world championships, and earned its first manufacturers’ cup this season. The company has also been the official car of the NHRA since 2014.
Under its Toyota Gazoo Racing umbrella in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Toyota supports six partners, including newly crowned Top Fuel champion Antron Brown. Brown, now a four-time champion, fields his entry under AB Motorsports, which he owns.
The other team partners are DC Motorsports with Alexis DeJoria (Funny Car), Kalitta Motorsports with Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), and J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Ron Capps Motorsports with Ron Capps (Funny Car), Torrence Racing with Steve and Billy Torrence (Top Fuel), and SCAG Racing’s Top Fuel program with Justin Ashley.
Toyota provides its team partners with tow vehicles and trackside engineering support and technology.
Brendon Hartley set a 1m46.714s in this evening’s Hypercar Hyperpole session in Bahrain to claim pole position for tomorrow’s FIA WEC season finale, leading a front-row lockout for Toyota Gazoo Racing. Hartley’s flyer in the No. 8 GR010 HYBRID came …
Brendon Hartley set a 1m46.714s in this evening’s Hypercar Hyperpole session in Bahrain to claim pole position for tomorrow’s FIA WEC season finale, leading a front-row lockout for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Hartley’s flyer in the No. 8 GR010 HYBRID came with more than four minutes left on the clock. It was fast enough to put him three-tenths clear of Nyck de Vries in the sister No. 7 car which slotted in second moments later with a 1m47.037s.
“Big thanks to my teammates for trusting me to do qualifying,” Hartley said. “Yesterday we were not happy with the car, we’ve turned it around. It’s never perfect but I learned from Quali 1, and in Hyperpole the car came alive. It’s been a tough year for car 8 so we want to finish the year on a high.”
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The second row of the grid will be occupied by the No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 499P and the No. 99 Proton Competition Porsche after strong efforts from Antonio Giovinazzi and Neel Jani respectively.
The No. 50 AF Corse Ferrari will start fifth, 0.8s off. Crucially though, both of the drivers’ title-contending crews from Toyota and Ferrari (in the No. 7 and No. 50) will start ahead of the points-leading No. 6 Porsche which will line up sixth on the grid ahead of the No. 5.
A few key cars failed to make it into the top-10 shootout, including the Cadillac Racing V-Series.R — which took pole last time out — and both Alpine A424s.
After having his penultimate lap deleted for track limits, Alex Lynn pushed on his final flyer at the end of the session but would only climb to 13th from the bottom of the pile in the Cadillac.
“That was my lap,” Lynn told RACER. “That was going to be the one before it was deleted, as it’s a one-lap shootout here really because of deg.”
Mick Schumacher, meanwhile, ended up 17th in the No. 36 Alpine. The German ran wide and off-track at the final corner in the closing seconds of the session after improving through Sectors 1 and 2.
The No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari which won Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas will also start outside the top 10 (in 12th), as will the pair of Peugeot 9X8s that set the pace in two of the three practice sessions prior to qualifying. The No. 94 claimed 15th on the grid ahead of the No. 93 that will start last after having three of its laps deleted due to a technical infringement. Jean-Eric Vergne explained that the car suffered with power issues, which caused the engine to cut out and ultimately led to the infringement.
“We should have the pace to be able to fight for points tomorrow though,” he added.
Josh Caygill, Nicolas Pino and Marino Sato celebrate pole with the United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo. JEP/Motorsport Images
In LMGT3, United Autosports locked out the front row with its pair of McLaren GT3 Evos with head-turning efforts from Josh Caygill and James Cottingham.
Caygill put the No. 95 on top, delivering United its first LMGT3 pole and McLaren its second this season (after Inception took pole at Le Mans) with a 2m02.201s. But there was almost nothing to separate the two McLarens, as Cottingham placed the No. 59 second with a time just two thousandths off.
“We had a really good car for quali,” Caygill said. “We worked on race setup and tire management in practice and never showed our ultimate pace. I was happy with the lap, lost a bit at the last corner but overall it’s good.”
The top three in the class were completed by the No. 55 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, Francois Heriau steering his 296 to a 2m02.367s in the Hyperpole shootout.
Sarah Bovy placed the Iron Dames Lamborghini on the second row in fourth with her effort, ahead of the title-winning Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche which will start tomorrow’s race fifth.
After topping two of the three practice sessions, AKKODIS ASP only managed to sneak one of its Lexus RC F LMGT3s into Hyperpole, though Arnold Robin was unable to improve on 10th. The No. 78 will start behind the Heart of Racing Aston Martin, Fuji-winning Vista AF Corse Ferrari and the pair of TF Sport Corvettes, which will line up sixth through ninth.
D’Station’s Aston Martin came closest to making it into the second part of the LMGT3 sessions, qualifying 11th with a time from Clement Mateu that was just a tenth off making the cut.
Both Team WRT BMWs also failed to make it through, along with the No. 91 Manthey EMA Porsche and both Proton Ford Mustangs.
Tomorrow’s eight-hour WEC season finale at the Bahrain International Circuit is set to get underway at 2pm local time.
Toyota’s FIA WEC boss Rob Leupen will leave Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe at the end of 2024 after 30 years of service, as part of a “renewal of the brand’s leadership structure.” The 60-year-old Dutchman first joined what is now TGR Europe in 1995, …
Toyota’s FIA WEC boss Rob Leupen will leave Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe at the end of 2024 after 30 years of service, as part of a “renewal of the brand’s leadership structure.”
The 60-year-old Dutchman first joined what is now TGR Europe in 1995, gradually working his way into the role of general manager and then director of business operations. He later became the managing director in 2015.
“TGR-E began a long-term update of its leadership structure earlier this year,” Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe said in a statement. “With the end of the calendar year approaching, TGR-E announces the next phase in this ongoing process. Rob Leupen will officially depart TGR-E at the end of year, and by mutual agreement, he will suspend his operational role with immediate effect.
“Rob has made an immense contribution to TGR-E and Toyota in motorsport over almost three decades of service and the company places on record its sincere thanks and wishes him success in the next phase of his life.”
It also follows the shakeup at TGR at the start of the season, which saw long-time technical director Pascal Vasselon replaced by David Floury after nearly two decades in the position.
Haas’ new technical partnership with Toyota comes with the support of Ferrari and will enhance the existing agreements, according to team principal Ayao Komatsu. Toyota Gazoo Racing has become an official technical partner of Haas, in a deal …
Haas’ new technical partnership with Toyota comes with the support of Ferrari and will enhance the existing agreements, according to team principal Ayao Komatsu.
Toyota Gazoo Racing has become an official technical partner of Haas, in a deal includes the manufacturing of parts and a simulator set-up, but Komatsu said that nothing from the team’s existing Ferrari relationship will change.
“We are going to continue to use the Maranello wind tunnel, and regarding our own gearbox, that is not what we are thinking,” Komatsu said. “As long as regulations permit, we will buy the gearbox from Ferrari. Our partnership with Toyota is not to replace our Ferrari partnership.
“The Ferrari-Haas partnership is the foundation and it is always going to be the foundation. This partnership is not to take away from it but enhance that fundamental partnership with Ferrari. What we have with Ferrari, what we get from Ferrari, is amazing. It’s the foundation of Haas F1 Team. But areas Toyota can help us is outside of that.
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“We’ve been transparent with Ferrari management from the early stage of this discussions. Clear understanding of what engagement we have with TGR and how we will protect IP of each company.”
Komatsu said that being open with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur from the start of talks with Toyota was key to ensuring both companies were happy with the agreement.
“In terms of talks and finalizing the agreement et cetera, to be honest it was relatively straightforward,” he said. “:We’ve been working with Ferrari since day one so we understand each other very well, and I’ve always been talking with Fred from the very early stages of this idea for the collaboration.
“Like I said, the Ferrari-Haas relationship is the foundation, so I went in with the complete mindset that they need to really understand that one. Let’s say if they feel any threat, that the Toyota-Haas alliance would be a threat to them, that’s not going to work. So I made sure that that is not the case. And then through [Masaya] Kaji-san, Toyota was totally on board and clear from day one.
“I think honestly, the key is being transparent and clear in terms of engagement, in terms of parameters, from day one, so that all parties are informed. Of course Ferrari sent us certain requirements, certain bullet points, where I had to guarantee them that ‘Look, we are continuing this and this and this’ but that’s what we were going to do anyway. So it was very straightforward really, and very collaborative from all sides.”
Manufacturing of the Haas chassis is also currently outsourced to Italian company Dallara, and Komatsu says the agreement will continue but there could be areas where certain components come under Toyota’s remit.
“Again, Dallara is our important partner, they’ve been with us from day one, they’ve been building our chassis since day one,” he said. “So that’s another key important relationship, and again in due course we’ll be discussing which parameters we will keep working with Dallara, which parameters we’ll work with Toyota. It will co-exist, it is not replacing one with the other.
“Of course we keep the Maranello design office, because again, nothing changes in that we buy the gearbox and suspension from Ferrari, so to that extent it makes sense to have our design office in Maranello. And we continue to use the Ferrari wind tunnel, so our aerodynamicists will continue to be based there.
“But for instance we will start designing some other carbon composite parts by ourselves and also start doing some testing and sim work, some other areas, to contribute to the performance of the car. Where we house them exactly, whether Maranello or UK, is something we will decide in the future. But again, I just like to stress it’s not to replace what we have with Ferrari.”
Haas has been fighting a losing battle for a lot of its recent history in Formula 1. COVID in particular hit the team hard, and after it turned to pay drivers, the narrative formed that this was a team on the verge of going out of business. …
Haas has been fighting a losing battle for a lot of its recent history in Formula 1. COVID in particular hit the team hard, and after it turned to pay drivers, the narrative formed that this was a team on the verge of going out of business.
Financially, it was never in trouble. Owner Gene Haas made sure of that, but he did retain what could be described as an extremely measured approach when it came to the money he was putting into the team. That much was made clear when he replaced Guenther Steiner with Ayao Komatsu and told the new team principal that if he saw value and a return in terms of improved performance, he would increase his investment.
Haas felt he was already giving the team what it needed to do better than it was, and in 2024 that has shown to be a well-founded assumption. Whether fortunes were on course to improve regardless of the team principal switch will never be known, but the car developed for this year is a clear step forward, and that momentum has continued ever since Komatsu took over responsibility.
But some things take longer than others. A new motorhome, for example, has been signed off that is currently being prepared for the start of the European season in 2025. There could even be a new factory in the future if the right site can be found. But many of those projects have been green-lit because of the on-track performance.
Today’s announcement that Toyota will become a technical partner is designed to ensure that performance continues to trend in the right direction.
Toyota – through its motorsport competition and research and development division called Toyota Gazoo Racing – can provide Haas with a shortcut at this stage of the team’s evolution.
Speaking to Komatsu as the partnership has been discussed and finalized, the team principal acknowledges where Haas is lacking compared to its competitors. There are no small teams on the F1 grid anymore, but Haas is the smallest in terms of personnel, and that means it is limited in terms of its resources.
It’s not for a lack of finance, but when you only have so many people available to do the work, you have the infrastructure to match. Haas and Komatsu both want to expand, but to hire the right people, invest in the equipment and increase all of those technical capabilities can take a number of years.
As an example, just look at Aston Martin and how long it was between breaking ground on its factory – in September 2021 – and the fact it is still to complete the entire project, plus the wait it faced for some of the key technical hires it made, and you can see the timeline is not weeks.
But in Toyota, Haas has a way of fast-tracking many areas of its growth.
Toyota might not be in F1 anymore, but it still has an F1-level technical facility that serves as the base for its WEC Hypercar program and can be put to good use for Haas. JEP/Motorsport Images
There doesn’t need to be a major investment in hardware because Toyota already has world class facilities for its motorsport department. Capital expenditure can be planned more effectively without the need to rush through certain items, and fewer personnel need to be hired because of the expertise already in place from the Japanese automotive giant.
The agreement focuses on Toyota’s ability to provide design, technical and manufacturing services, while Haas has the most relevant and up-to-date F1 experience from a technical point of view, as well as the platform to exploit commercially.
Over its time in F1 so far, a significant portion of the Haas car has been designed and manufactured by Dallara in Italy, but the team has taken on more responsibility as it has chased a more efficient structure. And it’s on that front – rather than from a powertrain point of view – that Toyota can stake a claim to produce high-quality components within a short timeframe.
There’s also the ability to set Haas up with its own simulator project at its headquarters in Banbury, rather than relying on the availability of the Ferrari simulator in Maranello. On top of that, Haas has been unable to run a recent car as allowed by the Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations, but will now have the capacity to do so.
Ferrari will remain the technical partner supplying Haas with its power units until at least the end of the 2028 season – a recently-announced extension that came with the Scuderia’s knowledge of the future plans with Toyota – and at this stage there are no indicators that Toyota would be interesting in expanding its involvement to involve engine technology.
“Vehicle development” is a term that came up from Gazoo Racing Company president Tomoya Takahashi; a catch-all phrase that could be as broad or as narrow as required moving forward.
But from Toyota’s point of view, partnering with Haas is a way back into the fold where it can expand its knowledge and experience within F1. Whether that is solely to help train its personnel and improve its understanding of the technologies involved – areas that can benefit other areas of the business – or if that evolves into a greater commitment in future remains to be seen. Either way, it would be foolish to think it’s going into this partnership with its eyes closed to the possibilities.
For now, there’s an existing team that has managed to put itself in the frame to finish as high as sixth in the F1 constructors’ championship this year, despite its size. Bulking up with Toyota’s support gives Haas the ability to take on many more projects – both related to future cars, and other aspects such as testing programs – in the short term.
The 2026 regulations are all-but-finalized and teams can start aerodynamic work in a little over two months’ time. The impact of the Toyota partnership will be felt even before that.
The challenge for Komatsu now will be ensuring the seamless integration of the two organizations to ensure there’s not a drop-off in performance before the benefits are felt, but Toyota can certainly provide Haas with greater capacity as it tackles that new generation of car in a way that wasn’t possible by simply investing in its own infrastructure.
This feature has been updated to include additional details.
The FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar title battles resume at Fuji this weekend, two weeks on from AF Corse’s dramatic victory with the privately-funded No. 83 499P at Circuit of The Americas’ Lone Star Le Mans on Labor Day weekend. And …
The FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar title battles resume at Fuji this weekend, two weeks on from AF Corse’s dramatic victory with the privately-funded No. 83 499P at Circuit of The Americas’ Lone Star Le Mans on Labor Day weekend. And while Ferrari and Porsche both head into the seventh race of the season with high hopes, they are under no illusions that beating Toyota on home soil will be anything other than a tall order.
Toyota’s WEC record is near perfect at the Fuji Speedway, with nine wins in 10 races. The only exception came back in 2015 when Porsche won with its 919.
While some of its victories over the years came while racing in a lean top-class, it demonstrated last year — after Porsche led the opening hours of the race with its No. 6 963 — that even with stiff opposition the Toyota team is capable of orchestrating a formation finish on Sunday evening. The million-dollar question ahead of the race is therefore whether or not Toyota will prove to be the safe bet once again.
The speedway named for nearby Mount Fuji has been a happy hunting ground for Toyota and its GR010 HYBRID but the opposition has been gaining ground. JEP/Motorsport Images
The season hasn’t been a stroll in the park for Toyota like it was at times in 2023, but its GR010 HYBRIDs have progressed through the season nicely after a tough start to the campaign in Qatar, where an out-of-character performance saw them fighting in the mid-pack.
Since challenging for victory but ultimately coming up short again at Le Mans back in June, Toyota has hit fine form. The No. 8’s race-winning run in Brazil in July looked comfortable and a second win in a row looked odds-on at COTA earlier this month before the No. 7 was penalized in the closing stages while leading and fell to second.
The result? For the first time in 2024 Toyota heads into a race weekend leading the Hypercar manufacturers’ world championship and if Sunday goes to plan it has every chance of traveling to the season finale with the upper hand in the drivers’ title race too.
The overarching narrative in Hypercar during the first half of the season centered around Porsche’s turnaround and Ferrari’s second fairytale run at Le Mans. Now, it seems, the script has been flipped. With titles on the line, the most experienced and successful team in the class is once again firing on all cylinders.
Despite all this, Toyota’s team director Rob Leupen told RACER that the team is proceeding with caution this weekend. Extending its win streak in Japan, he stressed, is likely to be tougher than ever.
“Three teams are fighting for the championship. And for us, it will be tough to know where we are until Sunday. In Austin, we struggled in qualifying but the race went much better than expected, like São Paulo,” he explained. “We will need to fight because we have seen Porsche strong here last year. Here we are the team to beat, but it will be a hard and close fight.”
Nailing the tire strategy, as ever, will be crucial — especially if it stays dry on Sunday and both the Michelin medium and hard compounds prove useful. Qualifying well may be more of a priority than usual too, as overtaking on Fuji Speedway is notoriously tough, particularly in Sectors 2 and 3 where opportunities to pass even the slower GT cars are limited.
While Alpine, Cadillac and BMW are tipped to be in the mix on Sunday, Toyota will remain focused on beating Porsche and Ferrari.
Toyota’s execution and strategy figure to be tested at Fuji. JEP/Motorsport Images
Penske’s No. 6 963 of Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre finished on the podium last year in Japan and all three are keen to bounce back and prevent their slim 12-point lead from shrinking further before Bahrain.
“This is one of the tracks that suits our car better, which is good because it’s an important race to do well,” Lotterer told RACER. “I haven’t thought too much about the title before this weekend because you need to take it race-by-race.
“We’ve been strong and consistent and found ways to extract the maximum out of our package, especially in the last two races when we lacked speed. Ultimately, whether or not the title race is on your mind the task doesn’t change.”
Ferrari’s 499 struggled for outright pace at Fuji 12 months ago, but on the face of it, there’s reason to believe that its second visit may yield better results. The recent Joker update — focused on brake cooling and aero efficiency — was originally expected to be most effective here and in Bahrain. However, the mood within the camp is not as positive as you may expect.
“It’s clear already after FP1 that this is going to be a tough weekend for us. I don’t expect the Joker change to make a big difference,” No. 50 driver Antonio Fuoco told RACER. “We should be OK for the top 10 for qualifying but I think it’s going to be a long race. It’s a matter of staying out of trouble and doing the best we can in a very deep field.”
Securing the manufacturers’ title is Toyota’s number one priority, but with the No. 7 full-season duo of Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries firmly in the fight for drivers’ honors, Leupen admits that team orders may be required between its two crews to ensure it is best positioned to claim both championships in November.
“The No. 7 will get more support to secure points if they are in the position to continue to fight for the championship,” he said. “It’s important. But if anything happens then we will push the No. 8. It’s a team effort and we will work with both cars because they need to support each other.”
With the introduction of technical regulations for hydrogen-powered prototypes for the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours delayed to 2028, Toyota has revealed plans to race both its current GR010 HYBRID Hypercar and a …
With the introduction of technical regulations for hydrogen-powered prototypes for the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours delayed to 2028, Toyota has revealed plans to race both its current GR010 HYBRID Hypercar and a first-generation hydrogen-powered prototype during the first season for the new regulations.
The current target for the manufacturers developing hydrogen-powered cars is to complete a partial season program in year one (2028), but as Toyota is already part of the WEC’s top class with its GR010 — a car now eligible to compete through the 2029 season following the recent rules extension — it will compete with both cars at the same time if it commits to racing with hydrogen technology.
“It depends on what the regulations allow us,” said Toyota Motorsports’ project leader John Litjens. “We will run them in parallel and we can adjust depending on how the development will go with the hydrogen car.”
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The next-generation regulations that will incorporate hydrogen — which is being put together via regular technical working group meetings — are not yet finalized, with many key decisions yet to be taken. Will both hydrogen fuel cell and hydrogen combustion-powered cars be permitted? Will both gas and liquid storage options be allowed? How will pit stops, stint times and target lap times be handled? Will these cars be competing for overall wins before 2030, and will they compete in a class separate from the current Hypercar category?
Thierry Bouvet, the ACO’s director of competition, said at Le Mans last month that there is a desire for the regulations to be as open as possible.
“What we want to allow is the possibility for manufacturers to demonstrate their technologies,” he said. “It’s too early for details, we need to draw the big lines.”
Litjen expects there to be three races for hydrogen cars in the opening season.
“They always mentioned three events in the year and Le Mans was for sure one of them,” he said. “There will be a transition, that’s why they’ve extended the current regulations. It will depend on how good and quick the hydrogen cars are and even the other technologies. I think the next step for the FIA and ACO is to define the second-generation Hypercars and this may not only be hydrogen, but other fuels.
“Let’s see what the new generation will be. In the end, people think we go from the current Hypercars to only hydrogen cars, but I don’t think this will happen. I think what will come is a second generation of LMH. Some manufacturers want hydrogen, but others are focusing on different things, maybe different fuels. There’s still a lot to come.”
Litjens noted the prospects for developing cutting-edge high-performance hydrogen technology in time for 2028, following the series of delays from the original target of 2026, remain unclear.
“If everything goes well, if we get the regulations in time (then 2028 is realistic),” Litjens said. “In the end, the extension (to the current rules) has been done to give a bit more time for, let’s say, the ‘new generation.’ And the ‘new generation’ Hypercars can be different technologies like hydrogen. In the end, we will run these cars a bit longer — I don’t think it’s a big problem.”
Although the GR010 is the only car still racing from the Hypercar category’s inaugural season in 2021, Litjens said it would be too complicated to replace it alongside the new hydrogen system.
“It would be very difficult. That would be two kinds of car,” he noted. “We can think about performance evolution jokers (development performance upgrades), but to develop two full cars in parallel is not possible.
“What is not discussed yet is whether you also get more jokers or not. These things normally get discussed in the technical working groups and we didn’t have one after Le Mans, the next one is in September.”
The ACO had previously stated that two additional joker upgrades will also be permitted for the 2028 and ’29 seasons.
Bubba Wallace did not offer details about the altercation with Aric Almirola that happened before the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway but surfaced in the media this week. “They don’t want me to get into details; keeps some people’s images good,” …
Bubba Wallace did not offer details about the altercation with Aric Almirola that happened before the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway but surfaced in the media this week.
“They don’t want me to get into details; keeps some people’s images good,” Wallace said at Nashville Superspeedway. “I think I said enough at Charlotte last year, so all in all, life is good for me. That [expletive] happened over a month ago and a lot of good has come my way, and that’s what I’m focused on.
“I’m focused on getting our stuff turned back around and off the racetrack I’m focused on my wife and baby that’s growing and growing. That’s all you can really [ask] for, so things are good for me off track. Not so much on track — that’s what we’re focusing on right now. There you go; that’s the only question you’ll get.”
Almirola was suspended internally by Joe Gibbs Racing before the Xfinity Series race at Charlotte (May 25). He was replaced by Ty Gibbs (who found out he’d be driving mid-week) and the only available information at the time was the organization saying it was a “team decision.” Almirola is expected to return to the seat at Indianapolis Motor Speedway next month.
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Joe Gibbs Racing had no report on the altercation becoming public. It was initially reported by The Athletic.
Wallace’s reference to his comments last year stemmed from the Coca-Cola 600. On pit road at Charlotte Motor Speedway during a rain delay, the two got into a heated debate about their on-track competition. It resulted in Almirola shoving Wallace.
“When you walk around with two faces, that’s what you get,” Wallace said at the time.
Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing have an alliance, including competition meetings with Toyota. Denny Hamlin, the co-owner of 23XI Racing, didn’t have much to add about the situation or detail about what happened between Wallace and Almirola.
“I don’t really have a comment on it because I wasn’t there at the time,” Hamlin said after winning the pole for the Ally 400. “I don’t know what all transpired. It’s all hearsay from my standpoint. And at 23XI, we let Joe Gibbs Racing handle it and they did what they saw fit.
“Again, I don’t know all the details because I didn’t want to get too much into the personal business and I still don’t.”
So, a 1-2-4 for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the combined Le Mans Test Day times yesterday, and no major mechanical dramas or incidents to report from the German marque’s factory program. That’s it then, might as well hand over the trophy and head …
So, a 1-2-4 for Porsche Penske Motorsport in the combined Le Mans Test Day times yesterday, and no major mechanical dramas or incidents to report from the German marque’s factory program. That’s it then, might as well hand over the trophy and head home…
Not so fast!
As ever, drawing firm conclusions from testing is unwise. With each team working towards a different set of objectives, too much shouldn’t be read into the lap times.
There is so much more to come from the pace of the Hypercars as race week wears on, if it stays dry. The pole time last year was a 3:22.982, four seconds faster than the best lap achieved by Kevin Estre in the No. 6 Penske Porsche during the test.
However, you often get the odd hint of where things stand from post-test body language, conversations and lap counts.
On that basis, should we expect the Porsche 963s to be the class of the field this year? After all, Penske won in Qatar, JOTA won at Spa, and the Penske team appeared upbeat after its performance in the test yesterday after its three-car fleet topped the times on pace and completed 196 laps and 2,671 kilometres during the six hours of track time.
Toyota certainly thinks so.
“The hierarchy is clear,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing’s technical director David Floury after the test. “If Porsche doesn’t win they will have done a pretty bad job. No surprise (after seeing the BoP).”
It was by no means a quiet day for Toyota though, despite Floury’s downbeat tone. The No. 7 GR010 HYBRID topped the Morning session and went on to set the third fastest time in the Afternoon run, the best lap just seven-tenths off the No. 6 Porsche.
Jose Maria Lopez has wasted no time getting reacquainted with Toyota’s Hypercar program. JEP/Motorsport Images
Both GR010 HYBRIDs also began to turn up the wick at the end of the afternoon session, with fast individual sector times from Sebastien Buemi and Kamui Kobayashi before the latter brought out a red flag at the end with an off at Indianapolis.
Nevertheless, Floury feels this year’s race will be Porsche out front, with a competitive fight between multiple manufacturers behind.
“I think (Porsche) has the edge on every aspect and I wonder what Ferrari and Cadillac are doing. Clearly, Porsche is looking very strong,” he said. “BMW looks good as well. Behind Porsche, it should be a good fight.”
Toyota is, however, satisfied that Jose Maria Lopez is already up to speed on his return to the Hypercar team on short notice after Conway’s late withdrawal from the event due to injury.
“By the look of the lap time, it was like he drove the car yesterday,” said Floury. “He was up to speed immediately. There were no issues and he was clearly motivated. He has worked hard to get up to speed with the car’s systems and he is on top of things. We are confident there will be no issue in the race.”
Porsche meanwhile, believes it has a real shot at a 20th overall victory this year. The 963 looks like an entirely different animal in Year 2 and looks to be significantly more capable at the Circuit de la Sarthe for the 2024 event.
While Urs Kuratle, Porsche Motorsport’s director of factory racing, doesn’t believe there can be a standout favorite for this race, he was positive about the team’s prospects ahead of practice and qualifying.
“We will be in the mix, we will be there, but I am not sure you can be favorites because so much can happen.
“We had a really easy, relaxed preparation for this one. During the session, besides a rear-right flat spot on the No. 5 car we had no technical issues and are high on the timing board. It will not be representative of the qualifying ranking though, we are realistic.
“The fact we are in the mix with so many other cars is such a nice thing for the whole sport.”
Elsewhere, there were notable performances from some of the cars that are entirely new to Le Mans.
The No.20 BMW M Hybrid V8 set the sixth-best time and completed plenty of mileage (though the sister car did need an engine change during the day) and the No. 63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63 ended up seventh after 73 tours.
Peugeot’s 2024-spec 9X8 also got its first taste of the La Sarthe asphalt. Its 9X8s ended up 13th and 21st on lap time, but the team believes that the new car is effective on the circuit and there is plenty more to come from the car in performance terms.
“I’m happy to be here compared to last year when I did not do the Prologue,” No. 93 driver Jean-Eric Vergne told the media. “It’s a massive help to get me acquainted to the car and build confidence.
“I think we have a good indication of where we need to go with the setup of the car, and I am happy with the feeling behind the wheel. There are no areas where we are bad, so that’s a positive.
There could be more to come from Peugeot. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images
“Obviously the lap times are not representative, all I care about is the feeling in the car. We know where we can improve and it should be easy to do. We focused our car on setup, the other car on long runs, so we have a lot of data gathered.
“It seems to have improved last year, but frankly that was not difficult.”
Jean-Marc Finot, the senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport, was also keen to stress that the new car is showing signs of improvement.
“It’s ok. We had a software issue on the No. 94 because we downloaded the wrong file, but everything is going well. This track is very specific and difficult, we have a simulator but it’s hard to anticipate the tuning of the car on the aerodynamic and chassis side.
“We also spent a long time seeing the behaviour of tires on long runs.
“For Le Mans, it’s too early to say (where we are in the pecking order), because we don’t know the run plan of our competitors.”
He did however give some insight into his thoughts on the new “two-stage” BoP process that has been introduced for this event, which regulates power output below and above 250 kph, handing the rule-makers greater control over the top speed of the cars.
The hope is that it will prove to be another valuable tool to balance the cars more effectively, particularly on a circuit like this one, which features long stretches of straight road.
The general consensus appears to be that this addition is a positive one. However, Finot downplayed the difference that the percentage of power gain tweaks above 250 kph will make in practice.
“If you change 1 per cent of the power at high speed it will change the top speed of one-third of a percent. So I don’t think it will change a lot. For instance, five kilowatts should be 1 kph or 1.5 maybe, no more.”
Floury from TGR also raised the point that he’d rather it was introduced earlier in the season, rather than right before Le Mans.
“It would have been more comfortable to run it in a previous event. Generally, It’s a good thing, it was needed and it is doing what it was designed for.”
What about Cadillac and Ferrari? Both manufacturers have been coming up in conversations surrounding the OEMs in the fight for victory.
The 2023 pole-sitting No. 50 499P enjoyed a quiet day that resulted in the fifth-fastest time. Cadillac’s three V-Series.Rs on the other hand, would slot in 14th, 16th and 19th, with the No. 3 Ganassi entry having its track time limited by a fuel line issue.
There doesn’t appear to be any sense of panic within the Ganassi or Action Express ranks at this stage though. After achieving an overall podium last year, the Cadillac has form here, and as we all know, you cannot win the Test Day…
“I think we’ve made a significant step forward on systems,” No. 3 driver Sebastien Bourdais said. “We’ve been focusing on race trims and trying to get the balance where we want it, get good tyre data and make sure that balance and grip stay fairly consistent over two or three stints.
“In general, the track seems a bit harder on tires than last year, so there is a bit more sliding around and that’s where we’re trying to see how much margin we have as far as adjustments on the setup to regain the grip that we’ve lost.
“Overall, the car is responding well and the engine side I feel like we have a better handle on things and the systems in general are a lot smoother and predictable than our first time here last year.
“We just have to fine-tune some things to bet ready for qualifying practice.”
In each of the four years the NASCAR Cup series championship has been contested at Phoenix Raceway, at least one Toyota driver has been included. But none of those drivers finished higher than third in the final championship standings. “It’s …
In each of the four years the NASCAR Cup series championship has been contested at Phoenix Raceway, at least one Toyota driver has been included. But none of those drivers finished higher than third in the final championship standings.
“It’s completely unacceptable that we have yet to win a championship in Phoenix,” TRD president David Wilson said over the winter. “I can go back and make excuses, but the buck stops here (and) it stops with our team partners and we, bottom line, haven’t gotten the job done.
“Our focus is Phoenix, and we all put so much emphasis on that.”
Toyota had five drivers lead Sunday’s race in a dominating showing for the manufacturer with 298 of 312 laps led. Christopher Bell went to victory lane, which was Toyota’s first win at the track since the spring of 2021 with Martin Truex Jr. However that race was the last year of the sixth-generation race car at the track. and since NASCAR rolled out Next Gen in 2022, it’s been even tougher sledding for the Toyota teams. In the previous four races at Phoenix, Toyota drivers had combined to lead just 15 laps.
“It’s no secret that Phoenix has been a little bit of a struggle for us,” Bell said after winning the Shriners Children’s 500. “After that first year of Next Gen, myself and Adam (Stevens, crew chief), we really sat down and said that Phoenix needs to be a focus point because I didn’t feel very good there the first two races in 2022 and then in 2023, we were a little better each time and today was lights out so today is a great day for the company.”
Denny Hamlin started the weekend by winning the pole and admitting Phoenix has been his weakest oval racetrack. Like his teammate Bell, Hamlin said he and his No. 11 group has been working on improving at Phoenix.
Toyota’s last fall win at Phoenix came in 2019, when it wasn’t the championship race. Lesley Ann Miller/Motorsport Images
Hamlin won the fall race at Phoenix Raceway in 2019 to qualify for the championship race a week later at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A year later, Phoenix started hosting the championship race. Hamlin made the Championship 4 in 2020 and 2021.
Looking back at Hamlin’s comments after those races, where he finished fourth (2020) and third (2021) in the final standings, brings to light how the pendulum was swinging away from Toyota’s direction. The short-track package wasn’t as strong for the Gibbs group in 2020, and Hamlin knew that things needed to fall perfectly for him in the finale. In 2021, it came down to an untimely final caution that sent the contenders down pit road one last time, where Kyle Larson’s team prevailed to get him out front.
But in hindsight, Hamlin and his camp knew it would be an uphill battle even going into the races. Hamlin later recalled a conversation on the plane to Phoenix during one of those championship seasons where Joe Gibbs Racing knew, given where they stacked up at Phoenix, they were long shots to win the title.
Hamlin led 68 laps on Sunday. Tyler Reddick also led 68 laps. Bell led 50 after taking the lead for the final time from Martin Truex Jr., who led 55. Ty Gibbs, who got the jump on Hamlin at the start of the race, led the first 57 laps.
Reddick won the first stage and Bell won the second stage. From start to finish at Phoenix, it was a day for Toyota.
Wilson’s tone afterwards was much different, with a hint of relief, from the last time he spoke about Phoenix Raceway.
“For Toyota, this was a momentous win,” Wilson said. “This was the first win with our new Camry body. I was clear to say at the beginning of the year that we have struggled here recently. I didn’t realize this statistic until it was brought to my attention, but in the four previous Phoenix races, Toyota led a combined 15 laps.
“(Sunday) we led everything but 14 laps. That’s a credit to the Joe Gibbs organization, TRD USA, Calty Design, who helped us with this new Camry body. At the same time, I will say that the secret to longevity in sports, in motorsports, is never get too high when the day goes your way, and never get too low when it doesn’t because we’re going to be racing again next week. Phoenix will be in our rearview mirror.”
Toyota deserves its due for the work that went into making a statement with Sunday’s performance. But as Wilson also advised, it’s just a start in the right direction and the series is going to evolve between now and the championship race in November. For the teams who couldn’t keep up with the Toyota drivers Sunday, plenty of racing is left to evolve and hone in on the short-track package.
If a Toyota driver makes it to Phoenix in the fall for the fifth consecutive year with a shot at the championship, there should be no overreacting to what that means based on the spring race. But there is no denying Toyota laid down the gauntlet of what the field is aiming for and should feel pretty good about having a much better notebook to build on for the race that really matters.
