Toyota to set the record straight at Imola
After an opening round spent in the middle of the pack, Toyota is hoping for a better level of performance in Imola. For the first time, the WEC will set its wheels on the Italian track.
A face that is not in Toyota’s habits. Since the departure of the big Audi and Porsche teams in 2016 and 2017, Toyota had accustomed onlookers to seeing them leading the race and accumulating successes, due to lack of factory competition. And last year, only Le Mans eluded them.
But for the opening round of this world championship, last March, the Japanese did not display the same level of performance. The two Japanese cars finished in 5th and 8th place. Unusual positions for this team that has been accumulating titles.
A little over a month after this first deadline, Toyota plans to bounce back. And it will start with the 6 hours of Imola, scheduled for this Sunday, April 21. On this new circuit on the WEC schedule, the team can rely on the experience of its drivers.
The key to success: the start.
« Although Imola is a new track for the team, most of its drivers have already competed there. Ryo is the most recent winner to triumph in a European Le Mans Series (ELMS) race in 2016, while Kamui and Nyck have won junior formula races there early in their careers. Neither Mike nor Sébastien have raced at Imola before, and Brendon has only done it once, in the ELMS in 2013 », the manufacturer recalls.
The drivers themselves hope to regain the top positions and compete with Porsche, which dominated the opening round. « I ran a lot in Italy as a young driver, so I know the track well and I also won races there. It will be a challenge to win this weekend on a new track for our car, but we are working hard together, as a team, to achieve the best possible result », announces Kamui Kobayashi, driver of car number 7.
Toward tough competition?
On his side, Brendon Hartley, in sister car No. 8, expects tough competition on a twisty and fast track where overtaking opportunities are scarce.
« The Italian passion for motor racing is legendary, and we are heading to Ferrari’s home territory, so the atmosphere in Imola should be incredible. I expect a special weekend, and a particularly tight battle up front. In Qatar, we saw how tight the battle is in Hypercar and it will be the same again. No one can afford to make the slightest mistake in qualifying or in the race because, in such a tight competition, you can lose a lot of positions. We all need to be at the top of our game to fight at the front.
