"Don't give up on us": Toyota's Mike Conway vows to be back "fighting very soon"
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- Oct 6
- 3 min read
It is no secret that Toyota Gazoo Racing is facing its hardest season in the Hypercar class of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). In an interview with DIVEBOMB during the 6 Hours of Fuji weekend, driver Mike Conway urged fans not to give up on Toyota just yet.
A challenging year does not deter Toyota's approach
Toyota came to their home race, the 6 Hours of Fuji, hopeful to finally stand on the podium for the first time this year. Conway said this season has been challenging and commented that the team needed to make a big step to get themselves back in front.
"We didn't quite get the results we could have maybe got.
"It could be a challenging one, but we'll do our best, as always. I guess just not having quite enough pace to really fight for podiums and wins. We've just been a bit on the back foot, I would say, from the start of the year and haven't really been able to progress that much.
"But, you know, at the same time, others have improved. So, I feel like we need to make a step to get ourselves back up there. We need a few things to go our way."
The challenging season did not shake Toyota's approach to every race, which is to execute their game plan well, no matter the odds, even if the regulations were not on the Japanese manufacturer's side.
"We just need to keep executing well.
"Hopefully, we can get some help in some other areas and try to fight up front. But it's been quite hard from the beginning, kind of the way they've offset the cars in terms of the regulations hasn't really been on our side at all, all year.
"But then, saying now there's been some races where we've been equal to others and we've still not quite had the pace. There's no quick answer [to this], but we'll try and do our best every race anyway to try and turn it around."
Conway on staying motivated amidst Toyota's struggles
Conway has been in WEC since 2013, and the Briton has experienced the highs and lows of endurance racing. The 42-year-old veteran explained how he remained motivated even if things did not go his way.
"I guess with endurance racing, you never quite know the outcome of any race, even if it's all going your way.
"By just being in the race, that kind of keeps us all motivated anyway, just to try and do our best. But it does get harder, I guess, when you know there's maybe no chance for a victory."
"We saw in Brazil, where we went a lap down within the first hour. So, we knew at that point that it was going to be very hard to call back that. But at the same time, it motivates everyone to really extract the most we can, leave no stone unturned and do our best."
The future seasons of WEC will feature new manufacturers with the premise of even more intense competitions. Conway said the team will give their all to improve over the winter to get them back in contention.
Appreciating the love of the home crowd
Conway's No.7 crew ultimately crossed the line in seventh, not quite the way the team would have wanted at their home race. Nonetheless, the team is grateful for the fans' support and sticking with them through these challenging times. He concluded the interview by urging fans never to count Toyota out.
"As always, thank you for your support, to the good and bad.
"We appreciate all your love and support. We always do our best to get the best results. But even when it doesn't happen, we really appreciate seeing all those flags out there and all the team colours around the paddock and in the grandstands.
"We have a big grandstand just in front of our garage. So, it's cool to see that all the way through the weekend. We're doing our best, so don't give up on us. We'll be back up on the front fighting very soon."
Shortly after the interview had been conducted, the team's commitment became clear just days later when Toyota announced a much-awaited updated aero package for the GR010 next season. It remains to be seen whether this move could finally return Toyota to the top.
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