Toyota Gazoo Racing began its home round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship with two dry 90-minute practice sessions at Fuji Speedway. The #8 TR010 HYBRID topped the opening session before slipping to eighth by the end of the day, while the championship-leading #7 crew ended 13th. With less than a second covering the top 15 cars in a 17-strong Hypercar field, the Japanese manufacturer faces one of its closest home weekends yet.

Toyota arrived at Fuji Speedway leading the World Endurance Championship and chasing a 10th victory at its home circuit. Friday’s two free practice sessions, both run in warm and dry weather on the foothills of Mount Fuji, suggested that will not come easily: the Hypercar field has grown to 17 cars, and less than a second separated the fastest 15 of them.

Fastest early, eighth by the end of the day

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa set the pace in the opening session, with Hirakawa recording the quickest lap in the first minutes of running. By the close of the day their #8 TR010 HYBRID sat eighth on the combined times.

In the sister #7 car, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries — level on points at the head of the drivers’ standings — ended up 13th. De Vries took the #7 to eighth place in the first session, while Kobayashi logged the car’s best lap in the afternoon.

A circuit that pulls set-up in two directions

Fuji combines a long main straight with a mix of high- and low-speed corners, which makes finding a compromise difficult for drivers and engineers alike. Both crews worked through a programme of mechanical and aerodynamic set-up comparisons aimed at Sunday’s six-hour race rather than single-lap pace.

Rain had been forecast for the afternoon but never arrived, so the team used the second session to compare Michelin’s soft and medium tyres and to chase better balance over long stints. Hartley said one direction taken between the sessions proved to be the wrong one, but described it as useful learning about where the car stands in the dry.

“We drove both specifications of tyre, and I think we have a good picture now. We tested a few things, so we have a lot of data to analyse. Hopefully we’ll improve our overall package for the weekend.” — Sébastien Buemi, driver, car #8

Weather could reshuffle the order

With rain expected on Saturday, third practice becomes the last realistic chance to fine-tune both TR010 HYBRIDs before qualifying — and possibly the first look at wet-weather pace.

“We had dry conditions today but unfortunately, we expect some rain tomorrow, so we need to prepare for that as well,” said team principal and #7 driver Kamui Kobayashi. “We will do our best whatever the weather.”

Hirakawa said the team also slotted qualifying simulations into the start of each session precisely because Saturday’s weather is uncertain. “It’s very close in Hypercar and we are in the mix, looking at the lap times. We just need to fine-tune and find a little bit more lap time,” he said.

What it means

For Toyota the stakes are double: a points lead to extend in the manufacturers’ championship, and two of its own drivers tied at the top of the drivers’ table, which makes the #7 and #8 crews direct rivals as well as team-mates. With the Hypercar grid at 17 cars and the field this tightly packed, qualifying position and tyre choice are likely to matter more at Fuji than outright car speed.

Facts: Toyota at the 6 Hours of Fuji

  • Event: 6 Hours of Fuji, round six of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship
  • Cars: two Toyota TR010 HYBRIDs, #7 and #8
  • #7 crew: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries — 13th in practice
  • #8 crew: Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryō Hirakawa — fastest in FP1, eighth overall
  • Hypercar entry: 17 cars, top 15 within one second
  • Practice format: two 90-minute sessions, both dry
  • Tyres evaluated: Michelin soft and medium

Qualifying starts at 2.40pm local time (7.40am CEST) on Saturday, with the race running over six hours on Sunday.

Source: newsroom.toyota.eu