Lone Star Le Mans: Qualifying - TOYOTA RACING set for Texas shoot-out

TOYOTA RACING secured top-10 starting positions for Sunday’s Lone Star Le Mans after a hard-fought qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA), the venue for round five of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

An intense engineering effort throughout free practice helped both TR010 HYBRIDs maximise their performance in qualifying and Hyperpole. This delivered a solid foundation for TOYOTA RACING to extend its advantage in the manufacturers’ World Championship and fight for a first win in Austin.

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa will start from seventh on the grid in the #8 TR010 HYBRID. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, who are tied on points at the top of the drivers’ standings, were ninth in their #7 TR010 HYBRID.

Qualifying took place in the hottest conditions of the event so far, with temperatures hitting 38°C. The competition on track soon heated up as well.

With low fuel and on new medium Michelin tyres, Ryō left the pits immediately when the 12-minute qualifying began, while Kamui waited a few minutes to begin. The two TR010 HYBRIDs set best times just 0.058secs apart to reach Hyperpole, with Ryō in eighth and Kamui ninth.

In Hyperpole, the TR010 HYBRIDs bided their time in the pits before heading on track. An intense session saw Kamui earn ninth place with his only flying lap, while Ryō completed two flying laps, improving slightly on his second to move up to seventh.

With hot conditions likely to continue for Sunday’s race, the team’s engineers and drivers will now work to optimise strategies for the demanding COTA track, which exposes tyres to the highest energy levels of the whole WEC season. The race begins at 1pm local time (8pm CEST).

Quotes:

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “We wanted a bit more, but I think we are still in a good position for the race. We have higher expectations for tomorrow, when I think the heat here in Austin could help us. There were a lot of true racing fans here and I am sure even more will be here tomorrow, so we’re all looking forward to an exciting race. Hopefully we will finish it with smiles on our faces.”

Ryō Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “It was really hot out there, really difficult conditions. The temperature was much higher than this morning, and the tyres were overheating. I had to adjust many things, but the team did a good job. We expected qualifying to be a bit tricky, but seventh and ninth is not bad. I think we have strong race pace, so hopefully we fight for another win tomorrow.”

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