Toyota seeking to avenge narrow defeat at Le Mans: “We want to put that right”
After narrowly missing out on victory last year, Toyota returns to Le Mans determined to reclaim the top step of the podium in its 40th anniversary year at La Sarthe.
Toyota driver Nyck de Vries says he wants to “put right” last year’s narrow defeat to Ferrari in the 93rd running of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
De Vries, Jose Maria Lopez and Kamui Kobayashi crossed the finish line in second in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, just over 14 seconds down on the winning #50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco.
The sister #8 entry finished down in fifth after Brendon Hartley was pitched into a spin in the penultimate hour by the #51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, an incident for which the Italian was hit with a five-second time penalty.
Toyota achieved its last victory at Le Mans in 2022, before the onslaught of new manufacturers in Hypercar class ramped up the competition, but de Vries is optimistic of the Japanese manufacturer’s chances of adding a sixth win to its tally.
“When I think about Le Mans, I think about the history, how prestigious and important this race is. We remember who won Le Mans, and when you look back over the decades there are so many great names, so to become part of that is a dream.
“It’s a race which is extremely difficult; to win Le Mans is hard, that’s why it’s so special. Finishing second last year was a great result but after such a long race, with so many different emotions, it felt bitter-sweet, so we want to put that right this year.”
Although Toyota has struggled in qualifying this season, like its 2024 title rival Porsche, the operational strength of the squad has allowed it to consistently finish inside the top five in the opening part of the World Endurance Championship.
Hartley believes this key strength could serve Toyota well in Le Mans next week, as it celebrates 40 years since its maiden appearance at La Sarthe in 1985.
“We are all pumped up for Le Mans,” he said. “It’s Toyota’s 40th anniversary year and we’re ready. We have been working almost since the day after last year’s Le Mans and we want to be fighting for victory, that’s the goal.
“We know there is a big task ahead of us and we need to execute each step perfectly to be up there at the front.
“But I know the team has worked so hard for this, and we’ve already shown in the first three races how we can extract the maximum performance from our package, so we’re ready to go.”
