TOYOTA GAZOO Racing delivered its best qualifying performance of the year to secure pole position and lock out the front row of the grid for Saturday’s 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season.
The team has an exceptional record in Bahrain, having won the last eight races, and it goes into Saturday’s race determined to end a challenging campaign with a return to the podium. After disappointing recent results, qualifying saw a significant improvement thanks to a determined effort from the team and its drivers.
Kamui Kobayashi earned the team’s first pole of 2025 with a lap of one minute 46.826 seconds in the #7 GR010 HYBRID he shares with Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries. Brendon Hartley was just 0.151secs behind in the #8 GR010 HYBRID he drives alongside Sébastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa to complete the one-two.
“A very nice qualifying from the whole team,” said Hartley. “We are very pleased with the performance. I did a pretty tidy lap, although there were a couple of small mistakes and I was a bit conservative in places. Kamui nailed it and pipped me to pole. I was desperate to get it but congratulations to him. I am happy to start from the front row, which gives the best possible chance of finishing on the podium.”
Kamui warmed up for qualifying by setting the second-fastest time in final practice – just 0.012secs off the best lap – to already raise expectations. Kamui and Brendon, last year’s pole-sitter in Bahrain, took part in qualifying for the fourth time this year.
The green flag flew as the sun set on a warm evening at Bahrain International Circuit, with air temperatures of 28°C and track temperatures noticeably lower than in final practice. The two GR010 HYBRIDs set their only flying laps relatively early in the session. Kamui confirmed the team’s free practice promise by finishing third with Brendon a strong fifth, to qualify both cars in Hyperpole for just the second time in 2025.
In Hyperpole, Kamui and Brendon upped the pace. They were among the first competitors to record a quick time and immediately took the top spots. As the minutes counted down, both GR010 HYBRIDs headed to the pits but none of the remaining Hypercars could match the GR010 HYBRIDs.
They will therefore lead the field away when Saturday’s race starts in daylight at 2pm local time (midday CET). The eight-hour contest will run into the night for a spectacular finale to a dramatic WEC season.
8 Hours of Bahrain – Free Practice 3
1st #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Nielsen/Molina) 1min 49.725secs 30 laps
2nd #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.012secs 30 laps
3rd #83 AF Corse (Kubica/Ye/Hanson) +0.339secs 29 laps
4th #009 Aston Martin THOR (Riberas/Sorensen/De Angelis)+0.410secs 29 laps
5th #12 Cadillac Team JOTA (Lynn/Nato/Stevens) +0.427secs 29 laps
6th #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Duval/Jakobsen/Pourchaire)+0.566secs 29 laps
13th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.849secs 30 laps
8 Hours of Bahrain – Qualifying
1st #007 Aston Martin THOR (Tincknell/Gamble/Gunn) 1min 47.290secs
2nd #009 Aston Martin THOR (Riberas/Sorensen/De Angelis)+0.131secs
3rd #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.210secs
4th #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne) +0.353secs
5th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.546secs
6th #15 BMW M Team WRT (Vanthoor/Marciello/Magnussen)+0.582secs
8 Hours of Bahrain – Hyperpole
1st #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 1min 46.826secs
2nd #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.151secs
3rd #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Duval/Jakobsen/Pourchaire)+0.340secs
4th #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne) +0.382secs
5th #12 Cadillac Team JOTA (Lynn/Nato/Stevens) +0.717secs
6th #009 Aston Martin THOR (Riberas/Sorensen/De Angelis)+0.798secs
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