"A reward for everyone": Toyota ends difficult WEC season with a 1–2 finish in Bahrain
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- 8 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Since the season-opening Qatar 1812 km, Toyota Gazoo Racing chased that elusive podium, but intervening circumstances always prevented a Top 3 finish. However, Toyota finally got the job done at the 8 Hours of Bahrain with a dominant 1–2 finish, bringing a close to their difficult 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.
Toyota's mixed 2025 campaign
Toyota's 2025 season has largely been mixed since the first race. The No.8 car was in prime position to take the team's first podium during the 6 Hours of Imola. Unfortunately, contact with the No.50 Ferrari in the closing stages saw them drop out of the podium fight, ultimately finishing fifth.
A poor qualifying session at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps saw both cars start at the wrong end of the grid. Their aggressive strategy was immediately complicated by a puncture for the No.7 car early in the race. But smart calls ensured both cars maintained their 100% finishing record, with the No.8 recovering to fourth and the sister car securing seventh.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans offered a chance to regain momentum, but the team faced yet another disappointing qualifying session. During the race, they failed to capitalise on early potential, despite leading the field briefly. The No.7 car finished fifth, while the No.8 car struggled and finished 15th after suffering a broken component.
Last year, Toyota saw a dramatic turnaround in their form, starting with the 6 Hours of São Paulo. However, this year was anything but, as both cars failed to finish in the top 10. The outcome saw them finish outside the top 10.
Toyota's pace during the Lone Star Le Mans practice was unconvincing. Incidents and treacherous conditions during the race meant only the No.8 car came home with the points. Team Principal Kamui Kobayashi admitted the team could not do better than eighth with the current pace.
The team could not put the GR010 Hybrid in favourable spots during the Fuji qualifying. A combination of bad luck and penalty prevented a strong finish in front of the home crowd, a result that Kobayashi found unacceptable.
Toyota turned it around in Bahrain
Hyperpole
During the Fuji weekend, DIVEBOMB had the chance to talk to the No.7 driver Mike Conway. The Briton said the team always tried their best to turn their season around and urged fans not to give up on them.
Toyota received a favourable Balance of Performance (BoP) for the Bahrain season finale, one of their favourite rounds, and the same venue where they sealed their 2024 Hypercar Manufacturers' Championship title.
It did not take long for the GR010 Hybrids to show the pace that they have been missing this year. Toyota locked out the front row with the No.7 car starting on pole and the sister car right beside it.
After the qualifying session, Kobayashi said: "I am very happy to be on pole again.
"It’s the result of a great job and a big effort from the team. We have had a tough season so far, so I am very proud that we could turn it around and get a 1–2 today.
"Everyone pushed very hard for this, but tomorrow is another day, and we know it will not be easy. Our target is to win. We are well prepared, and it should be an exciting race."
Race
Toyota immediately bossed the proceedings by extending their advantage early in the race. Both cars ran a different strategy: the No.8 car only took fuel while the No.7 car changed tyres.
Conway reclaimed the lead around the 90-minute mark while Brendon Hartley in the No.8 car dropped a place to the No.51 Ferrari. The New Zealander switched with co-driver Sébastien Buemi, who took the No.8 car to third as the other cars pitted.
Nyck de Vries inherited the lead from Conway, and Buemi brought the No.8 car back to second place. Both cars swapped places before a safety car in the fourth hour. They briefly ran behind the No.009 Aston Martin, but the Valkyrie was eventually penalised.
Kobayashi and Ryō Hirakawa took over the Nos.7 and 8 cars in the second half, still at the front. Hirakawa's chances were compromised as he slid down to ninth with a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
Hirakawa battled the other Hypercars and moved back to sixth. The 31-year-old, boosted by an early fuel stop, had a clear track advantage to make up lost time. The Japanese driver then fought an exciting battle with the No.94 Peugeot for third.
Running on an older set of tyres, the No.8 car could not keep the No.51 Ferrari behind for long. Toyota made a call to pit the car, with Hartley returned to the cockpit with a fresh set of tyres. Kobayashi continued his fine run at the front and had a 30-second lead.
De Vries returned to the No.7's control for the last 90 minutes. Toyota made their final pit stop with a late safety car. The Dutchman controlled the restart with Buemi keeping the No.51 Ferrari at bay, as they took home a 1–2 finish.
Post-race reactions
No.7
Kobayashi was relieved to end the difficult year win a victory. He praised his team for pulling all the stops and executing their strategy well. The 39-year-old said this victory is a reward for the team's hard work all season long.
"It has been a very tough season, and we had to wait until the last round to enjoy a result like this.
"And [it was] an unexpected second place in the [Hypercar] Manufacturers’ World Championship. It was not an easy race, but a big effort from everyone in the team made this possible. We executed a clean race with no mistakes. We never gave up all season, and winning here is a great reward.
"Thanks to the whole team, [the] engineers and pit crew here, plus everyone in Cologne and Higashi-Fuji [Technical Center], for their hard work. Thanks also to our Toyota colleagues in Bahrain and the local fans here who have really supported us here."
Conway said it was an amazing result and was pleased to finish the season with a win. But for the 42-year-old, the victory was even more special as his mother was in attendance to celebrate her birthday.
"It’s an amazing result.
"Before the race, I felt like we had a good chance, but to come away with a 1–2 is incredible, and I am so happy for the team. Finishing second in the World Championship is pretty cool as well because we didn’t even think about that coming into the weekend.
"I am just so happy to get a nice result to finish a tough season. It’s been a perfect way to celebrate my mum’s birthday. She’s here to watch the race, and it’s been nice to share it with her."
De Vries said: "It’s obviously fantastic to finish the season with a 1–2 for the team.
"It’s a reward for everyone who has worked so hard all year, not just at the track but also back at the factories in Cologne and Higashi-Fuji. Everyone has been pushing hard all year, and until now, it didn’t work out as we hoped, but we bounced back today.
It was a great race; we executed well, made no mistakes, and everyone played their part in achieving this win. Car No.8 also drove well to fight back up to second place; their strategy worked out well. All in all, I’m very pleased to end the season on top like this."
No.8
Buemi was in a congratulatory mood with the positive result. The Swiss driver believed everyone in Toyota deserved to celebrate the moment after such a difficult year.
"Congratulations to car No.7 and the whole team.
"To finish first and second is a fantastic result, and I think everyone deserves to enjoy the moment because we have all worked so hard to get back to the front.
"Considering the season we've had up to now, finishing second in the World Championship is a nice boost for everyone’s morale going into next season, when we hope to come back stronger and fight for the title."
Hartley said: "I am very happy to finish the season with a 1–2.
"It was our goal today, but at some point, it looked like it would be difficult. It had been looking positive in the first half of the race, and we were off strategy, meaning we would have new tyres at the end.
"The fight back after our penalty was phenomenal from all three drivers, along with the flawless pit work and the strong strategy. Car No.7 did a great job to win, congratulations to them."
Hirakawa congratulated the No.7 car on the win. He added how the safety car and good performance aided the No.8's quest for second place and made it clear that Toyota will be fighting at the front of the pack again next year.
"Congratulations to car No.7 for their victory and to the whole team for this result.
"We did our very best on car No.8 to win, and we were able to come back after the penalty. The safety car helped us a bit, but we showed good performance today.
"I’m very happy to get second in the World Championship as well. It’s a nice surprise, and it’s the result of pushing until the end in every race. Next year, the target is very clear, and we are looking forward to fighting at the front like this again."
Toyota ended their 2025 WEC season by finishing second in the Hypercar Manufacturers' Championship with 171 points. They leapfrogged Porsche, which failed to score, and Cadillac, which only took 15 points at Sakhir.
In the Hypercar Drivers' Championship, the No.7 car took sixth with 89 points, followed by the No.8 car in seventh with 66 points.
