TOYOTA RACING kicked off its 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season in changeable weather conditions during the Prologue test at Imola, venue for this weekend’s opening round.
The TR010 HYBRID – with new bodywork, a fresh livery and a one-off logo to celebrate the team’s 100 hybrid WEC races – made its official on-track debut at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. With eight hours of testing across two sessions, the Prologue allowed the team to build on the positive work done during its comprehensive pre-season testing programme.
“Our new car looks great, and we all had a good feeling with it around Imola,” commented Brendon Hartly (#8 TR010 HYBRID). “The good vibes were helped by the fact that Imola is such a high-adrenaline, old-school track that everyone enjoys. It’s hard to draw conclusions from the day but, so far, I would say we are in the mix and, of course, we are aiming for the podium in a few days’ time.”
The day started with a wet track, but soon the TR010 HYBRIDs switched to the 2026 Michelin slick tyres. With relatively little testing so far on the new tyres, understanding tyre performance and degradation was a key element of the Prologue test programme. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries set the 11th fastest time of the three-and-a-half-hour morning test in their #7 TR010 HYBRID. The #8 sister car of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa finished a fraction behind in 13th.
Rain fell in the afternoon as well, starting around 60 minutes into the session. On a damp circuit, neither TR010 HYBRID had an opportunity to improve on their flying laps set within the opening half hour. After four-and-a-half-hours, Sébastien, Brendon and Ryō were the highest-placed TR010 HYBRID in ninth, with Mike, Kamui and Nyck close behind in 11th.
The team will use the extensive data on the TR010 HYBRID and Michelin tyres gathered during a productive day to refine set-ups and strategies before Friday’s first free practice sessions for the 6 Hours of Imola.
Prologue – Morning Session
1st #51 Ferrari AF Corse 1min 31.586secs
2nd #83 AF Corse +0.097secs
3rd #50 Ferrari AF Corse +0.982secs
4th #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota +1.302secs
5th #20 BMW M Team WRT +1.322secs
6th #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota +1.329secs
11th #7 TOYOTA RACING +1.567secs
13th #8 TOYOTA RACING +1.645secs
Prologue – Afternoon Session
1st #50 Ferrari AF Corse 1min 31.177secs
2nd #83 AF Corse +0.126secs
3rd #51 Ferrari AF Corse +0.198secs
4th #20 BMW M Team WRT +0.532secs
5th #36 Alpine Endurance Team +0.695secs
6th #35 Alpine Endurance Team +0.699secs
9th #8 TOYOTA RACING +1.232secs
11th #7 TOYOTA RACING +1.310secs
Comments