Toyota returned to WEC action at Interlagos for the first time since its sixth Le Mans 24 Hours victory, but the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo began on the back foot. The two TR010 HYBRIDs ended Friday’s free practice 14th and 15th, leaving the championship leaders with plenty of work to do overnight. A wet forecast for Sunday’s race could yet reshuffle the order.

Toyota was back on track for the first time since winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, as free practice opened for the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo — round four of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

The manufacturers’ championship leaders ran two 90-minute sessions at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace, better known as Interlagos. The anti-clockwise, 4.309 km circuit is known for its elevation changes and tight, twisty layout, and it gave engineers a first chance to dial in the cars. By the end of the day, both crews were still searching for pace.

A difficult day for both cars

Le Mans winners and title leaders Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries ended up 14th fastest in the #7 TR010 HYBRID. Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa — third at La Sarthe — closed the day 15th in the #8 car.

The morning’s first session began late under sunny skies, with temperatures around 25°C (77°F). Both cars ran through mechanical and aerodynamic set-up changes while assessing both compounds of Michelin tyre. The afternoon brought similar conditions and an incident-free run, but the team says it finished slightly adrift of its Hypercar rivals.

“We were generally struggling in terms of pace, and the feeling in the car wasn’t great,” said team principal and #7 driver Kamui Kobayashi. “We couldn’t get into a good rhythm. We will work on it tonight and try to figure out how to improve.”

Hoping for rain

With the dry running proving tough, several drivers pointed to the weather as a possible lifeline. The forecast calls for a wet Sunday, which the team believes could reshape the race.

“On the other hand, the forecast is for a wet Sunday, which would completely change the picture,” said Buemi. Hartley agreed the conditions might work in Toyota’s favour: “It looks like there could be rain on Sunday and that might be good news for us.”

Ryo Hirakawa, who noted the #8 crew is running a different car specification compared with last year’s Sao Paulo round, summed up the mood: “We’re missing lap time. There’s a lot of work to do tonight and hopefully we can find some lap time for qualifying.”

What comes next

The engineers will now study the data ahead of the final one-hour practice on Saturday morning. Qualifying follows on Saturday afternoon at 3.10pm local time (8.10pm CEST), setting the grid for Sunday’s race, which starts at 11.30am local time (4.30pm CEST).

Facts: Toyota GAZOO Racing at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo

  • Car: Toyota TR010 HYBRID (Hypercar)
  • Circuit: Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos), 4.309 km, anti-clockwise
  • Event: Round four of the 2026 FIA WEC
  • #7 crew: Conway / Kobayashi / de Vries — 14th in practice
  • #8 crew: Buemi / Hartley / Hirakawa — 15th in practice
  • Qualifying: Saturday, 3.10pm local (8.10pm CEST)
  • Race: Sunday, 11.30am local (4.30pm CEST)

Source: newsroom.toyota.eu