Toyota Gazoo Racing double

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing dominated the opening round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) to earn a one-two victory in the 1000 Miles of Sebring Hypercar.

📷 © Luc Warnotte. The GR010 HYBRID #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López at **1000 Miles of Sebring** 2023.

The GR010 HYBRID #7 of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López bounced back from a practice accident on Thursday to take victory after a hard-fought 239 laps at the home of endurance racing in the United States.
Despite missing pole position on Thursday, the team was immediately in the fight at the front when the green flags waved in midday Florida sunshine. Sébastien kept pressure on the pole-sitting #50 Ferrari through the opening laps, while Mike held off a challenge to his third position.
An early safety car, due to a fifth-lap accident for a GT car, put the battle on hold for 25 minutes. During that interruption, the lead Ferrari pitted for fuel, moving the GR010 HYBRIDs to the front and defining the pattern of the race. Sébastien set a new Hypercar race lap record as he and Mike edged clear of the competition.
At the two-hour mark, little separated the GR010 HYBRIDs and their gap over the chasing pack was enough to keep them ahead through the first driver changes. Kamui took the wheel of the #7 and two laps later Brendon jumped into the race-leading #8, although he immediately came under pressure from the sister car.
As half distance approached, Kamui moved the #7 to the front and soon after, early in the fifth hour, he handed over to José. Ryo took the wheel of the second-placed #8 to resume an intra-team battle for victory, with the pair now a lap clear of the competition.
After Kamui and Sébastien returned to their respective cockpits, the gap at the front began to grow during the seventh hour. When Mike took the wheel of the #7 with 47 minutes remaining, he held a 23secs advantage over Brendon at the start of the final stint.
As the sun set on Sebring, Mike ticked off the remaining laps without taking risks and Brendon reduced the gap steadily. The chequered flag flew in darkness and Mike crossed the line 2.168secs ahead of the #8 to conquer the biggest-ever top-class grid for a WEC season-opener and earn maximum race points.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It is a fantastic feeling to win this race and I would like to thank everyone for their big support, particularly everyone back in Japan, including Toyoda-San and President Sato-San. The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing family has worked really hard to be ready for this season. We had a tough time yesterday, but we came back strongly and in the race we showed our philosophy to be one team, with everyone working very hard together. A one-two was the best result we could hope for, but this is just the start of a big fight this season. We deserved to win but we do not under-estimate the other manufacturers; today our experience helped us but we will face a big challenge this season, so we have to get stronger and fight even harder. This championship is getting really exciting, and I am happy to be part of it.”
Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It’s a fantastic result to start the season with a one-two for the team. The race was very tight between our two cars so I’m really happy to pick up the win. Sebring is a very tricky, bumpy track where it is so easy to make a mistake, but everyone on car #7 did everything right. Kamui and José did a stellar job. It was emotional for me at the end because I was thinking about my Dad, who passed away a year ago. This one was for him.”
José María López (Driver, car #7): “I am very happy for the team; everyone performed so well today to get a one-two against so much competition. Even though we didn’t have the best qualifying, we knew we had a strong car for the race and our crew did everything right. It wasn’t easy to jump back in the car for the first time since the incident yesterday and it took a few laps to get my confidence back. But I am happy with my stint, and of course Mike and Kamui did a solid job as well. It was a perfect race and the best way to start the season.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in the #8 GR010 HYBRID at **1000 Miles of Sebring** 2023.

After a tense race-long battle at the front, World Champions and 2022 Le Mans winners Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa completed a perfect result for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing by finishing second in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, just 2.168secs behind.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I am obviously very pleased for the team to start the season with a one-two and such a strong performance. Every driver wants to win but there are two cars in the team and there can be only one winner; the #7 guys had a great race today. The whole team has performed amazingly well all week to put us in such a strong position compared to the opposition. This is just the first step and it will be a tough season but I am really happy to get the one-two here.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It’s an amazing result for the whole team and I am incredibly happy for everyone who has worked so hard for this. I’m also a bit disappointed for the #8 car to be second because it was such a close race, and we led for so much of it. We got a bit unlucky but congratulations to the #7 crew for the win. At the end there was only two seconds between the two cars after such a hard race which shows what a great job the team has done here.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “This has been a perfect race for the team, a one-two finish at the beginning of a new season is the perfect start to a new era of Hypercar. It’s really cool to get this result here at Sebring but it is just the start of the season and there are six more races to go, including Le Mans which is the main target. We are in good shape, but our competitors will continue to improve so we need to keep pushing. It is fun to be part of this challenge and I am looking forward to the next race already.”

Ferrari 499P has the performance

📷 © Luc Warnotte. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen with Ferrari 499P finished third.

The Ferrari 499P scored a historic podium finish at the 1000 Miles of Sebring, its debut in the World Endurance Championship. After an extraordinary pole position with Antonio Fuoco, the number 50 car the Italian driver shared with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen crossed the finish line in third. After just eight months of intensive development, the 499P proved to be a fast and reliable car. The seventh place of its sister car, the number 51, crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, also reflected this.
Various episodes impacted the performance of the two Maranello cars. Number 50 received a drive-through and an additional five-second stop for an infraction during the restart after a Safety Car phase and another during a pit stop. For number 51, a collision involving Pier Guidi caused a puncture and damage to the underbody and bodywork when returning to the pits, with the tyre now irreparably damaged.

Miguel Molina: « It was a challenging race, as we expected, but ultimately, we made it onto the podium and enjoyed some big thrills. Crossing the finish line with the two Hypercars was an excellent achievement for the entire team, which has worked intensively over recent months. We know we have room for improvement but we will continue to work with humility and determination. »

Cadillacs V-Series.R in the race

📷 © Luc Warnotte. The #2 Cadillac-V-Series.R co-driven by Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and Richard Westbrook at **1000 Miles of Sebring** 2023.

Alex Lynn led the No. 2 into the endurance race out of P5 position. Lynn exhibited impressive racing on his first stint, advancing all the way to P3 position after a hard-fought battle with the No. 5 Porsche 963 on lap 45.
Bamber took over driving duties on lap 66, two hours and 19 minutes into the race. On the team's fourth pit stop of the day on lap 95, Bamber had advanced to P3 position.
Westbrook took over in the No. 2 Cadillac in P3 position on lap 123, four hours and 18 minutes into the race. Westbrook eventually handed the No. 2 over to Bamber on lap 184, six hours and 21 minutes into the race, for the Kiwi to bring it home for the team.
After the team made their final stop and changed all four tires with 50 minutes remaining in the race, Bamber continued to push and ultimately crossed the finish line in P4 position.

Alex Lynn: “No doubt, it’s a strong and positive day for Cadillac Racing. We started our WEC campaign with a fourth place and I think we would have taken that at the start of the weekend. This is the first time everyone has worked together on a brand new program, and to come 10 seconds within a podium with a team as strong as Ferrari is just a fantastic start with so much more to improve on. We’re a team that wants to achieve good things, so whilst we respect it as a good result we come away feeling like we wanted more.”

Earl Bamber: “We were fighting for a podium and got a little bit unlucky with a full-course yellow at the end. We were sort of best of the rest, but we’re going to push on. This team did a fantastic job first time out here. Now, we will look for more at Portimao the next race.”

Richard Westbrook: « I think we executed brilliantly. Obviously, it’s a new format for everyone, a new team since Daytona and to come very close to a podium on our WEC debut is awesome for this whole Cadillac program. I’m just very proud of everyone. We stayed out of trouble and on another day, we could have gotten third. We’re only going to go forward now. We have so much data now to go through. It’s just so invaluable. It beats any eight-hour test. »

Porsche happy for the first round

📷 © Luc Warnotte. Dane Cameron, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki with #5 Porsche at 1000 Miles of Sebring

After the start, Dane Cameron (USA), Michael Christensen from Denmark and Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki managed to keep their No. 5 Porsche right behind their teammates. However, a drive-through penalty at the beginning of the fourth hour due to a regulation infraction during a full course yellow shuffled the trio down the field. The rest of the race ran without incident for the three and concluded with fifth place.

Michael Christensen (Porsche 963 #5): “The race was hot and challenging. We’re taking a lot of important insights home with us. Tyre management played a really important role today to keep us in the game. We’ll come back stronger at the next race in Portimao.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte. The #6 Porsche 963 helmed by Estre, Lotterer and Vanthoor at 1000 Miles of Sebring 2023.

The #6 Porsche 963 helmed by Estre, Lotterer and Vanthoor managed to gain a position at the start of the race on the 6.02-kilometre circuit. Early pit stops by some of the rivals at the end of an extended caution phase, caused by an accident involving a GTE car, propelled the hybrid prototype shared by the French-German-Belgian crew up to third place. For the best-placed Porsche 963, strategy was the main focus for the rest of the race. However, after seven hours of racing, a fleeting electrical issue cropped up during a pit stop, which cost time and threw the racing vehicle back one position behind their teammates’ Porsche 963.
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6): “That was not an easy race for us. Initially, we tried to fight against the Cadillac. That worked at times, but ultimately, they were too strong for us. At the moment it’s the best we can do. Now we need to figure out where we’re lacking speed and work hard to improve.”