Mike Conway and his Toyota Racing team enter a new era of the FIA World Endurance Championship when the season gets underway in Italy this coming weekend.
Conway is keen to get back to winning ways as the 6 Hours of Imola is Toyota’s 100th WEC race with hybrid power, a milestone which highlights the team’s experience accumulated over a century of races, as well as the start of its next chapter of endurance racing.
Since its return to WEC in 2012, Toyota has competed exclusively with hybrid technology, winning 13 world titles and 49 races, including five Le Mans 24 Hours. Its 100th hybrid WEC race sees the competitive debut for the new TOYOTA RACING brand and revised TR010 HYBRID.
The updated TR010 HYBRID represents TOYOTA’s and TOYOTA RACING GmbH’s technical development through motorsport prototype competition, built on engineering, reliability and teamwork. The car’s dynamic appearance aligns with Toyota’s latest road car design language, prompting aerodynamic changes which help drivers race at their maximum in all circumstances.
To complement the aggressive new design, a striking livery is based on TOYOTA’s corporate red and incorporates white to express the spirit of representing Japan. The white elements reflect a distinctly Japanese design inspired by the concept of ‘wind’, symbolizing a determination to stir up a fresh wind in WEC. A unique logo for Imola celebrates the milestone of 100 hybrid races in WEC.
The TR010 HYBRID’s beating heart is its racing hybrid powertrain, created at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji technical centre. It features a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, which runs on 100% renewable racing fuel, and is capable of more than 700 PS. Team partners DENSO and AISIN contribute their advanced technology to the hybrid motor and inverter on the front axle. RAYS delivers lightweight magnesium alloy wheels while ExxonMobil supplies high-performance engine lubricants. Additionally, new partner AKEBONO provides brake callipers and discs.
The TR010 HYBRID will compete on more sustainable rubber after Michelin introduced tyres containing 50% recycled and renewable materials. The 2026 tyres are intended to reach peak operating temperature quicker than the previous generation, without impacting durability.
While the team identity, car and tyres have evolved, a proven driver line-up is carried over from 2025. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries compete together for the third season in the #7 TR010 HYBRID, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa race the #8 car for the fifth successive year.
A renewed and reinvigorated TOYOTA RACING will compete against seven other Hypercar manufacturers over an eight-race season which features 72 hours of racing on four continents, including the team’s annual highlights, the Le Mans 24 Hours and 6 Hours of Fuji.
The season had been scheduled to begin in Qatar in March, before events in the region forced that race to be postponed. The action now kicks off with a one-day Prologue test on Tuesday 14 April at Imola. The 4.909km Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari has hosted WEC twice, with the #7 crew winning in 2024.
After the Prologue, teams have two days to rebuild the cars and optimise set-ups before two 90-minute free practice sessions on Friday 17 April. The starting grid will be determined in qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday (3.10pm CEST) while the hour race starts at 1pm CEST on Sunday 19 April.
Speaking ahead of the season opener, Conway said: “We’re all fired up to start the season and see where we stand. Our 2026 car looks really cool, and we’ve optimised a few areas as well, so hopefully this will bring us back in the game.
“Effectively, this season began last year, when testing of the TR010 HYBRID started in December. Since then, we have just been counting down the weeks, and the wait got even longer with the postponement of Qatar. Everyone is pushing to be racing at the front again. I can’t wait.”