TOYOTA GAZOO Racing concluded its last free practice day of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season with two productive sessions at Bahrain International Circuit ahead of Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain.
The outgoing World Champions aim to end a challenging season on a high note in the eighth and final round, at a circuit where the team has won eight consecutive races. After a six-week break since the previous race at Fuji Speedway, the GR010 HYBRIDs were back in action on Thursday.
Two 90-minute sessions provided opportunities to test on the 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit in both daylight and floodlit conditions. Tough competition has defined the WEC season, and Thursday’s free practice results suggest another intense battle among the 18-strong Hypercar field.
A positive day ended with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in fourth place in their #7 GR010 HYBRID. Last year’s Bahrain winners, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, were just a fraction behind in seventh in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, with the top 10 separated by less than a second.
“We had no real issues, and it all went smoothly,” commented Hartley. “Looking at the race pace, we are in the mix but it’s hard to say for certain. Tyre degradation is important here, as we saw last year, and we are working hard to find the right balance and strategy for tyre life. We want to be strong at the end of the race to give us the best chance to get back on the podium.”
First practice began on a warm afternoon, with air temperatures reaching 30°C. The team quickly got to work on a programme of mechanical set-up comparisons, tyre analysis and track familiarisation. With only a brief full course yellow in the final minutes, drivers and engineers were able to complete the run plan. A series of longer stints delivered valuable data and driver feedback, allowing set-up adjustments during a three-hour break between sessions.
As the sun set for second practice, track temperatures dropped and the team continued its focus on tyre performance and wear, as well as further set-up work. A trouble-free session ran almost without interruption to conclude an encouraging day for both cars.
Engineers and drivers have one last chance to fine-tune the GR010 HYBRIDs for the characteristics of the abrasive Bahrain track surface during the one-hour third practice on Friday morning. Qualifying takes place at sunset, starting at 4.40pm local time (2.40pm CET), to decide the grid for Saturday’s race, which starts at 2pm (midday CET).
8 Hours of Bahrain – Free Practice 1
1st #009 Aston Martin THOR (Riberas/Sorensen/De Angelis) 1min 49.697secs 41 laps
2nd #83 AF Corse (Kubica/Ye/Hanson) +1.455secs 41 laps
3rd #007 Aston Martin THOR (Tincknell/Gamble/Gunn) +1.941secs 42 laps
4th #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne) +2.014secs 36 laps
5th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +2.044secs 34 laps
6th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.212secs 43 laps
7th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.298secs 44 laps
8 Hours of Bahrain – Free Practice 2
1st #20 BMW M Team WRT (Rast/Frijns/Van der Linde) 1min 48.780secs 43 laps
2nd #009 Aston Martin THOR (Riberas/Sorensen/De Angelis)+0.262secs 42 laps
3rd #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne) +0.421secs 41 laps
4th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.562secs 45 laps
5th #5 Porsche Penske (Andlauer/Jaminet/Heinrich) +0.638secs 37 laps
6th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +0.685secs 43 laps
7th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.693secs 43 laps
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