Toyota fears “big gap” to rivals in Monza WEC after worst qualifying of 2026

November 7, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Ryo Hirakawa is unsure whether even bold strategic calls will be enough to propel Toyota towards the front in the World Endurance Championship's Monza finale after a difficult qualifying session.

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Hirakawa admitted the Japanese manufacturer was simply “too slow” after the two TR010 Hybrids ended up 15th and 16th on the grid for Sunday’s race, only ahead of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor.

Teams had completed very little representative running on slick tyres across the three practice sessions, with persistent rain on Friday and Saturday morning severely compromising preparations for the Monza 6 Hours.

However, Toyota struggled for performance in both wet and dry conditions as the WEC returned to Monza for the first time since the #7 crew's victory in 2023.

“It was the same for everyone, no dry running until qualifying, so it was really tricky. Some cars had tested here; we hadn't, so we were just guessing for set-up. We did our best from what we have got, but it's been tough,” Hirakawa said,

“Even in the wet, we didn't have a really strong pace.”

Asked where he was losing time on track, Hirakawa replied: “In the wet, it was everywhere, even on the straights, but I haven't really seen the performance in the dry. But yeah, I think [we are losing time] everywhere.”

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Ryo Hirakawa

Toyota’s operational strength has been key to its dominance in the 2026 WEC, with Hirakawa, Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley having notably scored a surprise victory at the Fuji 6 Hours in September thanks to a well-timed pitstop.

But Hirakawa was downbeat about his prospects for Sunday, suggesting the team’s strategic acumen would count for little without a significant improvement in performance.

“In terms of pace, whatever strategy you do, our car is too slow,” he lamented.

“First of all, we need to sort out the car to be much quicker. Of course, a strategy call is always important, so we always need to be ready for it. But we need to improve the car for tomorrow.”

Hirakawa attributed Toyota’s lack of performance to track characteristics, with the entire circuit having become noticeably smoother since it was resurfaced in 2024: “It felt like with this smooth track, we struggled to switch on the tyres. Tomorrow is going to be hotter, so hopefully, we have better pace.”

Hirakawa, Buemi and Hartley hold a 17-point lead in the standings heading into the final round on Sunday, putting them in a prime position to seal the drivers’ title.

With only 25 points on offer on Sunday, the #7 Toyota trio of Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi need to finish inside the top two to have any chances of snatching the championship from their stablemates.

#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa

A poor performance from Toyota would automatically hand the title to the #8 crew, but Hirakawa insisted that he would not like to be crowned champion in such fashion.

“But still, I want to do a good season. I don't want to finish last and then win the championship,” he said. “Let's just do it as a preparation for next year, and we'll do our best.”

Toyota’s technical director David Floury elaborated on Toyota’s struggles at Monza, saying its poor showing in qualifying was down to a combination of the team underperforming and the underlying pace of the car.

“I think it's a bit of both, to be honest. Obviously, we had no dry running. Only a run yesterday with car #7 in damp-ish conditions, which didn't bring much because we were in traffic all the time,” Floury said.

“We were not at our optimum for quali, both in terms of set-up and also driving.

“I think there will also be a big gap in the race. I think we are in the game for the race, so we will have to be creative if we want to be on the podium.”

With the manufacturers’ title already in the bag for Toyota, Floury said both cars will be free to pick their strategies for the race without any intervention from the team: “Usually, I make the strategy calls. This time I don't want to split strategy and I don't want to be the one deciding whether it will be car #7 or car #8.

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Nyck De Vries

“So, generally, when we split or when I decide to split strategy, it's because I want to target the team's interest in the first place. With the manufacturer's championship being secured, I don't have to interfere between the two cars.

“We will change the way we approach things compared to usual. We will advise the two cars what we think is best, but they will have more freedom than usual to go one way or the other.

“If you ask me, I would expect that we will try to be creative. But if car #7 does something, car #8 will try to copy the next lap. But that's only my guess. After that it's their call.”

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