Le Mans 24 Hours: Race Le Mans victory for TOYOTA RACING

15-06-2026 17:46 -

TOYOTA RACING overcame challenges during an intense battle through day and night to win an epic 94th Le Mans 24 Hours, the third round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

A crowd of 350,105 fans watched an epic Hypercar contest in one of the closest and most unpredictable Le Mans 24 Hours for many years, which delivered TOYOTA’s sixth win in the legendary French race.

Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries completed a nerve-wracking win by just 10.913secs after 381 laps of relentless competition in their #7 TR010 HYBRID. For Mike and Kamui, it represents a second win after their 2021 triumph, while it is Nyck’s first overall win.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa completed a race to remember for TOYOTA RACING with a podium for third place in their #8 TR010 HYBRID, just 20.417secs off the lead.

Despite starting from modest grid positions after a disappointing Hyperpole, the TR010 HYBRIDs used aggressive early strategy to refuel earlier than their rivals and taking advantage of a clear track to gain time. That brought both cars into contention for the top six, and the showed exceptional pace – setting new fastest laps – but setbacks interrupted their progress.

The #7 TR010 HYBRID suffered an early puncture which left it in a tight midfield battle. But relentless speed, particularly in the morning hours, brought it into the top three with six hours remaining.

Meanwhile, the #8 car led the early stages thanks to the alternative fuel strategy. But an off-track moment in the ninth hour, a drive-through penalty around half distance, and a brake drum mounting repair soon after left the #8 crew facing a tough task to return to the front.

A safety car with less than six hours remaining reset the field and gave both cars the opportunity to show their speed and race craft in a four-car battle at the front. With three hours to go, bold overtakes from Brendon and Nyck put TOYOTA RACING into a one-two lead.

The #7 car established a gap at the front, although fuel and tyre strategies caused the podium positions to fluctuate over the remaining hours. The #8 battled bravely for second but ultimately had to change tyres in the last hour, dropping to third. Kamui kept his cool in the afternoon heat and brought the #7 to the chequered flag, followed soon after by Sébastien in the #8.

The double points scored at Le Mans extends TOYOTA RACING’s advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship to 36 points, while the #7 crew have taken the lead in the drivers’ standings. The next race comes in just four weeks’ time with the 6 Hours of São Paulo at Interlagos on 12 July.

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “It was very challenging for us, but we never gave up. Car #7 has had a lot of second places at Le Mans but finally we got our second win. We have waited so long for this victory and it feels amazing. The whole week was not easy, including the race which was not smooth. We had a puncture early and that made it tough for us. But Mike, Nyck, our engineers and our pit crew did a great job. It was an incredible day. Thank you to everyone who made it happen, including all the fans who make this such a special event.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7): “It was a crazy race. I knew we could move forward from our qualifying position, but I just didn't know how far, or how tight the battle would be. Positions were swapping back and forth, and it wasn't until the last couple of hours that we felt we were in with a chance. It has been an amazing job by everyone in the team. Kamui and Nyck were super-fast, they really got us into the fight at the front when it mattered, and credit to the pit crew because they were faultless. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone in Cologne, Higashi-Fuji and at Toyota. This one is really special.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “I am incredibly grateful, relieved and happy to win Le Mans. This is my first time to win here, so I’m delighted. It's been a long journey this week and during the race as well. We had various setbacks and challenges to overcome and, frankly speaking, at times I thought we were out of contention. But it just shows that you can never give up. It all came together and I’m so thankful for all the work the team has done to achieve this incredible milestone.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “It was an unbelievable race. I am extremely happy for the team. They worked so hard since last year to bring the TR010 HYBRID. For car #7 to win the race is fantastic for everyone. It was amazing for us to be on the podium with them. Even though it is a special moment, I am disappointed because I feel we could have done a bit better. But it was a great job from all the team to get our second win of the year with this car. We will remember this day for a long time because the competition was tough and we came out on top.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It was an up and down race, as usual here. We led for a long time and had a big gap at one point before the safety car. We had some good luck and some bad luck. Ultimately, it didn’t work out for our car. We fought really hard until the end and my team-mates did a fantastic job. I am genuinely happy for the whole team, for the #7 crew and the drivers. It’s an emotional moment.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was a long 24 hours and a very tight battle all the way to the end. As a car crew we did our best and we had a good strategy. It wasn’t the perfect race for us but we were still fighting for victory. I’m really happy for the team to get this win with car #7 but I have some mixed feelings because we led for a long time and couldn’t finish the job. We need to celebrate now because car #7 drove a great race and the team worked so hard for this win.”

Le Mans 24 Hours – Result
1st	#7	TOYOTA RACING	381 laps
2nd	#20	BMW M Team WRT	+10.913secs
3rd	#8	TOYOTA RACING	+20.417secs
4th	#12	Cadillac Hertz Team Jota	+32.381secs
5th	#51	Ferrari AF Corse	+2mins 22.423secs
6th	#35	Alpine Endurance Team	+2mins 30.205secs