It will be a really tough and at the same time interesting 6h of Imola for Toyota, which has never been able to test on the Santerno track with its GR010 Hybrid in view of the second seasonal round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
It is clear that after the enormous effort of the 1812 km of Qatar, where the Japanese cars were objectively penalized by a Balance of Performance that was not as favorable as on other occasions, the Enzo and Dino Ferrari event will be an event of redemption and also of studies to understand what the values are in the field in the Hypercar Class.
The Japanese season didn't start well, but as reigning Champions they certainly can't be given up, so the black LMHs will have to be kept a particular eye on, starting with the #7 of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck De Vries , currently the best placed in the championship standings after Lusail's 5th place.
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“I can't wait to race again at Imola and get back behind the wheel of the GR010 Hybrid; I rode a lot in Italy when I was young, so I know the track well and won races there too. It will be a challenge to impose myself this weekend on a new circuit for our car, but we are working hard as a team to obtain the best possible result”, explains driver/team principal Kobayashi.
“As always, the key will be to get off to a good start in practice and quickly find a good set-up direction for our car, then drive a clean race, taking advantage of our experience and team spirit.”
Despite now being a veteran, Conway has never raced on the Emilia-Romagna track: “This weekend will be a new experience for me, because I have never raced at Imola before, even if obviously it is one of the circuits motorsport classics, so I've seen many races there and recently tried it on the simulator.”
“Now I can't wait to finally have the chance to race there. In Qatar we scored good points for the World Championship and now we have to keep the pressure high, taking advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. It won't be easy, against fierce competition, but we will continue to fight.”
After his debut race with Toyota in Qatar, De Vries aims to improve further: “Imola is a new track on the WEC calendar, very narrow and demanding, so it's interesting to see how we will do as a team.”
“It's a shorter event than Qatar and we don't have much time on track before the race, so we need to get off to a good start straight away. Hopefully we can have a good weekend and fight for the top places.”
Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
Photo by: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing
On the other side of the pits, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa are aiming for a weekend where they can collect something important with their #8 GR010.
“It's interesting to discover a new circuit with a Hypercar. I did an F1 test in Imola more than 10 years ago, but my only recent experience was preparing for this weekend in the simulator in Cologne,” said Buemi.
“It will be fun to drive the GR010 Hybrid on this track in front of all the Italian fans, but I also expect a good challenge, especially regarding the traffic in the race. We had difficulties with our car in Qatar, so we are all hoping for a strong performance improve”.
Hartley echoes this: “The Italian passion for motor racing is legendary and we are going to Ferrari, so the atmosphere at Imola should be fantastic. I expect a special weekend and a particularly close battle ahead.”
“In Qatar we saw how this is the case among the Hypercars and it will be repeated this time too. No one can afford to make even the smallest mistake in qualifying or in the race because, with such close competition, many positions can be lost. We must all be in top form to be able to challenge the leaders.”
Hirakawa comments: “Imola is another new track to learn with our car, but I drove the McLaren F1 last month and raced an LMP2 in the ELMS a few years ago, so I know the track well; I expect both exciting to drive with a Hypercar and spectacular for the fans.”
“I hope this track is better suited to our car than Qatar, which was a difficult weekend. The team has worked hard to prepare and find a way to come back stronger. I can't wait to get started.”
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