TOYOTA GAZOO Racing began preparations for a fierce Hypercar battle with the opening practice sessions for the Lone Star Le Mans, the sixth round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, in Austin, Texas.
A win in the last round at Interlagos moved TOYOTA GAZOO Racing to within four points of the manufacturers’ World Championship lead but it faces a significant challenge to maintain that momentum at the Circuit of the Americas, a venue where it has yet to taste victory.
With revised power and weight parameters for this event, the GR010 HYBRIDs finished the opening day in the top 10 of a competitive 18-strong Hypercar field after WEC’s only trip to North America kicked off in intense Texan heat.
São Paulo winners Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa ended the day sixth in their #8 GR010 HYBRID, half a second behind the pace-setting Ferraris. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, in the #7 GR010 HYBRID, were 10th fastest.
Two productive free practice sessions saw continuous improvement and the team is united in its efforts to extract maximum performance from its cars to deliver a substantial points haul in Sunday’s race, strengthened by its experience and team spirit.
The Texan summer lived up to expectations when Nyck and Brendon left the pit lane to start first practice and begin a comprehensive preparation programme in 30°C heat and high humidity, although a red flag after only a few moments cooled the action for around 10 minutes.
The team tested at the Circuit of the Americas last month, the first time GR010 HYBRIDs had driven in Austin. Those three days highlighted the importance of tyre management in hot temperatures on a challenging track, so a comparison of the medium and hard Michelin compounds was a priority in first practice, alongside aerodynamic and mechanical set-up work.
A 10-minute full course yellow briefly interrupted the session, which finished with the #7 GR010 HYBRID in 10th thanks to Nyck’s early lap. Brendon set the best lap in the #8 car, which finished 15th.
Second practice featured qualifying preparation in the opening minutes before the programme switched to longer stints. A mid-session red flag cost eight minutes but the team was able to complete a constructive day of practice, with Brendon’s lap at the start of the session putting the #8 in sixth. Mike’s best lap of the day for the #7, set inside the opening half hour, earned 10th.
A one-hour third practice on Saturday morning offers a final opportunity to fine-tune set-ups before qualifying and Hyperpole, which start at 3.40pm local time (10.40pm CEST). The seventh Lone Star Le Mans race starts at 1pm (8pm CEST) on Sunday.
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It’s been a smooth day. We did some tyre testing this morning and I think we have found a clear direction for the race which is good. We looked much more competitive in FP2 after we had not looked strong in FP1. The car felt better, and we look closer now, although still a bit behind the others. We are going to work hard tonight to find more performance because we are missing some pace.”
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