TOYOTA GAZOO Racing emerged victorious on Saturday (8) at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, the final race of the 2025 WEC season. The trio consisting of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries started from pole position in the Toyota GR010 HYBRID number 7 and converted their starting position into a win at the Sakhir circuit, earning the manufacturer’s ninth consecutive victory in this event.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, who drove the GR010 HYBRID number 8, completed the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing double by crossing the finish line in second place. The trio recovered from a mid-race penalty and finished 19s378 behind their teammates.
The result brings a positive conclusion to a challenging season. The team will now fully focus on the 2026 season, seeking to build on the performance demonstrated in the Middle East. The upcoming season will feature updates to the car.
“It was a very tough season, and we had to wait until the last event to achieve a result like this, and an unexpected second place in the Manufacturers’ Championship. It wasn’t an easy race, but with a great effort from everyone on the team, we made it possible,” said Kamui Kobayashi, who, in addition to being a driver, is also the head of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in the WEC.
“We executed a clean and error-free race. We didn’t give up at any moment during the season, and winning here is a great reward. I thank everyone on the team, the engineers, and the pit crew here in Bahrain, as well as everyone in Cologne and Higashi Fuji for their hard work. I also thank my Toyota colleagues in Bahrain and the fans who supported us here,” Kobayashi added.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will maintain the current trios for next year. Thus, Conway, Kobayashi, and De Vries will continue together for the third consecutive year, while Buemi, Hartley, and Hirakawa will be partners for the fifth consecutive season.
The 2026 WEC season will begin on March 28 with the Qatar event.
