MOTORSPORT – Toyota Racing return to action after their historic 24 Hours of Le Mans victory when the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) resumes this weekend in Brazil for the Six Hours of Sao Paulo.
The team overcame adversity and an ultra-competitive Hypercar field to win the 94th Le Mans race last month – their sixth victory in the legendary French race.
A double podium also helped Toyota move into the lead of the manufacturers’ world championship by 36 points.
Victory for Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries at La Sarthe elevated the number seven TR010 Hybrid crew to the lead in the drivers’ standings, and they take a four-point advantage into the South American round of the WEC calendar.
Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa are also in the title fight, just 19 points adrift of their teammates after finishing third at Le Mans in the number eight TR010.
They travel to Brazil aiming to win for the second time this year, following their victory in the season-opening Six Hours of Imola.
The 4.309-kilometre, anti-clockwise Interlagos circuit presents a unique engineering challenge.
The relatively high altitude of over 700 metres negatively impacts engine performance and downforce levels, meaning the free practice sessions are particularly important to adjust car settings prior to the race.
Toyota have a positive record from their five races so far in Brazil, with two pole positions and two victories to their name.
The team’s challenge to win its third race of the season will begin on Friday with two free practice sessions. Qualifying then takes place on Saturday to set the grid for Sunday’s race.
“Le Mans put us in a stronger position in the world championships, so obviously our next target is to reclaim both titles,” said Kobayashi, who is also Toyota’s team principal.
“We’ll be pushing very hard as a team to do that, starting in Sao Paulo. It’s going to be a challenge, though, because the competition is very close. Everyone could see that in Le Mans, when there were just a few seconds between the leading cars after 24 hours. But we also showed that with a big team effort and good strategy, we can achieve great results, and we’ll push hard to do that again.”
Buemi added: “I missed this race last year so I’m looking forward to racing at Interlagos again. It’s a special track with a special atmosphere. It’s quite demanding to race there because it’s an old-school circuit – narrow, lots of changes of elevation, and a good mix of corners.”
“Hopefully our TR010 will go well there, and we can fight at the front again.”
The Six Hours of Sao Paulo is the fourth of eight rounds this 2026 WEC season.
The next meeting will be at Austin in the US for round five on September 6.
The sixth round will then be held in Fuji, Japan on September 27, followed by Doha in Qatar on October 24.
The WEC will then bring the curtain down on this campaign with the Bapco Energies Eight Hours of Bahrain, scheduled for November 6 and 7 at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
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