Toyota Racing finished Friday practice for the 6 Hours of Barcelona with both of its TR010 Hybrid prototypes in the top 10. The #7 was fifth fastest and the #8 was eighth. It was the team’s first running at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with this car, and Toyota can secure both world titles this weekend.
The penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) began with two 90-minute free practice sessions in Spain. Toyota Racing arrives as leader of both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ World Championships after winning the previous round at Fuji Speedway. A strong result on Sunday could settle both titles a round early.
The team says the Hypercar field is closely matched. Barcelona is also new ground for a WEC race, which made Friday’s running more important than usual.
A first look at a new venue
The championship has visited the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya only once before, for the pre-season Prologue test in 2019. Toyota last ran there in a 2021 test, before the TR010 Hybrid raced. The 4.657 km (2.894-mile) circuit now has a slightly different layout from the one the team knew. The drivers and engineers spent both sessions studying how the Michelin tyres behave and adjusting the set-up.
Team Principal and #7 driver Kamui Kobayashi said it was “a bit like learning a new track” and that tyre wear had quickly become the main concern.
“We saw that there is quite a lot of tyre degradation, so we are trying to figure out how to manage that and have a good car balance. We’re still working on this and hopefully we will find improvements.”
How the two sessions unfolded
The first session started late on a warm, dry morning and ran without interruption. Sébastien Buemi set the best time in the #8, which finished sixth, while Nyck de Vries’ best lap left the #7 in 11th.
The team then had three and a half hours to study tyre data and adjust set-ups before second practice. That session was also trouble-free. According to Toyota, it added tyre knowledge and improved the cars’ balance. De Vries lifted the #7, which he shares with Mike Conway and Kobayashi, to fifth. Ryō Hirakawa set the #8’s best time, good for eighth. Hirakawa shares that car with Buemi and Brendon Hartley, and the trio lead the drivers’ standings.
Tyre management sets the agenda
All six drivers named the tyres as the key topic of the day. De Vries said: “Tyre degradation will be a hot topic here this weekend, unless it rains for the race. We made a positive start, but we still have some performance to find, especially when it comes to tyre and race strategy, but we are getting there.”
Hartley admitted that Toyota is still catching up with teams that have tested at the circuit: “We’re a bit behind a couple of our competitors, but we’ve learned a lot about the tyres, so I think there’s everything to play for on Sunday.”
The weekend is also a milestone for Buemi, who is starting his 100th WEC race weekend. He said: “We know how hard it is to pass here, so hopefully we can have a strong qualifying.”
What it means
Fifth and eighth is a solid start rather than a statement. Several rivals have more recent experience of the circuit, and Toyota’s drivers expect tyre wear to decide the race. Overtaking is also difficult at Barcelona, so Saturday’s qualifying could matter a lot for a team that can win both titles on Sunday.
Hypercars have a final practice session at Saturday lunchtime, followed by qualifying at 3.40pm CEST. The 6 Hours of Barcelona starts at midday on Sunday.
Source: newsroom.toyota.eu