TOYOTA GAZOO Racing earned a thrilling one-two victory on home ground in the 6 Hours of Fuji to clinch the manufacturers’ title in the penultimate race of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López took victory in their #7 GR010 HYBRID after an epic Hypercar battle with Porsche, earning maximum points and confirming TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s fifth consecutive manufacturers’ World Championship.
In front of a record 54,700 crowd, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa completed a perfect result by taking second place in their #8 GR010 HYBRID, finishing just 39.119secs behind.
“A one-two for the team in front of our home fans to win the world title,” commented Hartley. “That was the mission today and it was a job well done. Both cars lost positions on the first lap, so it was a big fight to get back to first and second, and that’s thanks to a huge team effort. Kamui had a bit more pace at the end and we couldn’t match it so we have to analyse where the speed went. Car #7 drove a strong race and deserved this victory.”
The #7 car’s fourth win of 2023 keeps their drivers’ World Championship challenge alive going into the seventh and final race, with the #8 crew now holding a 15-point lead and a maximum of 39 remaining.
A one-two victory after locking out the front row in qualifying does not reflect the full story of an incredibly close race at the front, which saw the GR010 HYBRIDs battling through the field and only taking the lead in the fifth hour.
At the start, Mike was pushed down to third and Sébastien fell to sixth he was being hit by the #50 Ferrari at a chaotic turn one. When racing resumed after a first-lap safety car, Mike was then edged off track whilst fighting for second and dropped to fourth while Sébastien overtook the #2 Cadillac for fifth.
An exciting battle between World Championship contenders TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and Ferrari saw the GR010 HYBRIDs come out on top. Mike and Sébastien both fought their way past the two Ferraris and, when the leading #6 Porsche pitted for fuel, the #7 led from the #8 after the first hour.
The pressure at the front increased after the first driver changes, which came around the two-hour mark. José immediately set the fastest lap of the race and closed to within striking distance of the #6 Porsche during a charging stint, with Ryo also closing the gap in the third-placed #8.
José relentlessly looked for a way past the leader and soon the top three were separated by barely a second after a string of fast laps from Ryo, who eventually passed José before making a bold overtake for the lead at the end of the fourth hour.
A few minutes later, the final driver changes saw Brendon take over in the lead, with Kamui a close second. Kamui was the fastest car on track and soon took the lead, stretching his advantage as Brendon fended off brief pressure from the #6 Porsche into the final hour of the race.
Kamui controlled the final stages and took the chequered flag after 229 laps to earn TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s ninth win in 10 races at Fuji Speedway and extend the team’s unbeaten streak which stretches back to 2016. Brendon crossed the line in second for the #8 crew.
After leading the team throughout the weekend, Toyota President and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Europe Chairman Koji Sato joined the drivers to celebrate a hard-earned victory, and world title, on the podium. The season will conclude with the 8 Hours of Bahrain on 4 November.
Race Results –6 Hours of Fuji – Race
1st #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 229 laps
2nd #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +39.119secs
3rd #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) +47.768secs
4th #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) +1 lap
5th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +1 lap
6th #38 Hertz Team Jota (Da Costa/Stevens/Ye) +1 lap
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