Toyota to run unchanged line-up for 2025 World Endurance Championship

Toyota to run unchanged line-up for 2025 World Endurance Championship

13th November 2024 0 By Kamron Kent

Toyota Gazoo Racing is set to compete in the 2025 World Endurance Championship with an unchanged, ‘established and proven’ driver line-up as they look to fight for both titles. 

Feature image credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Having completed its 12th season of WEC, the seven-time World Endurance champions are heading into the next season with an unchanged driver line-up in their two hypercars. 

In the announcement, Toyota confirmed that Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries, and driver-team principal Kamui Kobayashi would pilot the #7 car. Both De Vries and Kobayashi finished third in this season’s standings. The other car, #8, will be piloted by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa.

“We have a top driver line-up in both cars, and I am happy to be part of it again in 2025,” commented Kobayashi. “The team spirit and cooperation among all the drivers, and the team in general, grows with every race and every season. 

“Thanks to the great support of everyone at Toyota, as well as our partners, we have enjoyed some good results this year, but we are determined to achieve more.

“Competing in the Hypercar category in WEC is a big challenge and we are fighting against very strong competition, but as a team we continuously push ourselves to perform even better at every event. 

“I expect this to continue next season, with a consistent line-up of drivers who understand how to work together – as a driver crew, as team members and as part of the Toyota family – to succeed in endurance racing. I know the whole team is excited by the challenge in 2025.”

Toyota took their sixth consecutive world championship title in the team’s championship this season, at the eight hours of Bahrain, following a win from their #8 car. However, the Japanese team missed out on the driver victory by 39 points which Porsche’s Andre Lotterer, Kevin Estre, and Laurens Vanthoor won. 

As such, heading into 2025, the team will be looking to fight for both titles again, and a sixth victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with a team proven to secure championships. Buemi, Hartley and Hirakawa have collectively secured two world championships, in 2022 and 2023.

“I am happy to be part of Toyota Gazoo Racing in WEC for our fourth year together,” celebrated Ryo Hirakawa. “Of course, we aim to win Le Mans and the championship, although it’s going to be another challenging year with another new manufacturer joining Hypercar. 

“But we know we have the potential and team spirit to achieve this. Thanks to the support of Toyota and our partners, I am confident we are going to be strong, and I am looking forward to being part of it.”

The new WEC season will ignite in Qatar for the official prologue, on February 21-22, before starting officially for the Qatar 1812km on February 28. After eight rounds creating the upcoming season, the season will end once more at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, on November 8th.

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Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

CategoryNews WEC

About the author

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

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