TOYOTA GAZOO Racing aims second win at Imola

WECHyperCar

Apr 14

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing resumes its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) title quest with the first European round of the 2025 season, the Six Hours of Imola, on Sunday 20 April.

Last year first win at Imola

The reigning manufacturers’ World Champions are heading to Imola to renew their first victory last year, when the #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR010 HYBRID conquered the weather-affected conditions to win the Six Hours of Imola which kicked the team’s challenge for both world titles.

📷© Luc Warnotte at Imola 2024. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished won the 2024 Six Hours of Imola in their #7 GR010 Hybrid.

Third in 2025 manufacturers’ standing

Toyota Gazoo Racing opened the season by maximising the opportunities available in a challenging Qatar 1812km event to sit third in the standings. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa were fifth in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, while Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished sixth in their #7 sister car.

📷© Luc Warnotte at Lusail.Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID #8 was 5th and sister #7 6th overall of Qatar 1812km.

What drivers say ahead of the weekend

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We have good memories of Imola last year, which was our only victory for car #7. We had other chances to win during the season but at Imola we made the most of the changing weather conditions. It was easy to make a mistake, but we got our strategy right and drove well. I feel Imola last year really brought us together as a team because we came back from a disappointing result in Qatar by getting stronger together and finding the opportunity to win. This season we also faced some challenges in Qatar so I hope we can come back with a similar team performance in Imola, hopefully with better weather this time.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “I’m looking forward to racing again at Imola, especially after our win last year. It’s a great, old-school circuit with a good mix of corners, but it’s also quite tight so overtaking is not easy. We saw last year how important it is to get the strategy right there, so that will be a big priority. After a short break since Qatar, now it feels like the season is really starting to ramp up and I can’t wait.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “Imola last year was my first win with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing so it holds special memories for me. Our situation is quite similar to last season: we had a challenging start in Qatar but maximised our potential by executing a clean race and making the most of our opportunities. Hopefully last season’s result at Imola is a good omen and we can again fight at the front.”

📷© Luc Warnotte at Lusail. Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa after Hirakawa’s first stint at Quatar 1812.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I really enjoy racing in Italy, and Imola is a fantastic circuit which is fun to drive. It’s also a challenging track where getting the set-up and strategy right is particularly important, and that will be our focus in free practice. We need to extract the maximum performance from our cars, because we know the competition is strong, but we’re really motivated, and we will keep pushing hard.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “Even if the result in Qatar was not what we normally aim for, the execution from the whole team to score strong points despite the challenging circumstances shows what we are capable of. If we can repeat that performance in Imola we will be there or thereabouts at the chequered flag, scoring more big points to help us challenge for both world titles. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “I hope we can be more competitive in Imola compared to Qatar, which was quite a difficult weekend. The team has been working hard to prepare, and we saw last season that our GR010 HYBRID is competitive at Imola, so I am optimistic we can fight for the win. I’m excited to race again at Imola because it’s a traditional circuit and there are so many passionate fans in the grandstands to support us. I am sure we can give them an exciting race again.” Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Imola Schedule

FRIDAY, APRIL 18