TOYOTA GAZOO Racing returns to FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) action after an eight-week summer break with the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin, Texas on Sunday 7 September.
The Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has established itself as the home of WEC in the United States and hosts a round for the eighth time. It is one of only two circuits on the current calendar, alongside Qatar, at which TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has yet to win.
Mike Conway is unable to participate at COTA after injuring his collar bone in a training accident last week. His place alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in the #7 GR010 HYBRID will be taken by José María López, who was originally scheduled to race in Austin with AKKODIS ASP in a Lexus RC F LMGT3.
Sébastien Buemi returns to the #8 GR010 HYBRID with Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, who competed as a two-driver crew at the last round in Brazil in mid-July. That proved to be a difficult weekend for the team when performance and speed deficits prevented either car challenging at the front.
In Texas, the team hopes for improved circumstances to enable it to compete for its first podium of the season against another strong Hypercar field, which features 18 cars from eight manufacturers.
The 5.513km Circuit of the Americas is, like Interlagos last time out, an anti-clockwise track, characterised by the steep hill up to turn one followed by a sequence of sweeping, fast corners which create a spectacular opening sector, followed by tighter, more technical corners later in the lap.
Finding the right car set-up is particularly challenging in Austin due to the mix of different corners, as well as one of the heaviest breaking zones of the season, when cars decelerate from over 300km/h to around 60km/h for the tight turn 12.
Drivers get their first chance to optimise their GR010 HYBRIDs at COTA when practice begins on Friday with two 90-minute free practice sessions. After a one-hour final practice on Saturday, Hypercar qualifying takes place at 3.40pm (10.40pm CEST) to determine the grid for Sunday’s race, which begins at 1pm (8pm CEST).
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):
“It’s always great fun to race in America because the fans are so welcoming, and they really love motorsports. There is a different atmosphere around the track and it’s something I really enjoy. The Circuit of the Americas is a fantastic circuit, really nice to drive, and I can’t wait to be on track again in our GR010 HYBRID. As a team we’ve had a few weeks to analyse what happened in Brazil and we want to come back much stronger in Austin. Of course, we are all disappointed that Mike cannot join us in the #7 car, but José has proved he is a very capable substitute. As well as wishing Mike a quick recovery, I would like to say a big thanks to AKKODIS ASP for their support in allowing José to step in.”
José María López (Driver, car #7):
“I’m sad for Mike, who is a great friend, and I know he is so disappointed that he cannot race in Austin. I wish him all the best for a speedy recovery. It’s an unexpected opportunity for me to work with everyone in the team again, and I am sure it will be just like old times very quickly. I feel ready for the challenge, and I will give everything to get a strong result with Kamui and Nyck.”
Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):
“Naturally we will miss Mike, but we know José well, and he’s the ideal replacement. We were very competitive last year at COTA and, of course, we hope to have a similar performance this weekend, but we know it won’t be easy. We need to execute a clean weekend and maximise our performance in all areas. As a team we have performed well this season, even though the results have not been what we wanted. We will all be pushing to be at the right end of the grid this time.”
Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):
“I’m looking forward to joining up with Brendon, Ryo and the whole team again in Austin. It felt a bit strange watching them race in Brazil without me, but I was following everything, and I could see how hard everyone was pushing despite the difficult circumstances. Hopefully we are in a much better position this weekend so we can fight at the front again.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):
“As a team we’re all ready to get back racing after a long gap since Brazil, and we’re very motivated to challenge at the front in Austin. It’s a fun track to drive, with some fast sections and also some technical parts, so it’s not easy to find the right compromise on set-up. That means free practice will be very important to set us on the right course for the rest of the weekend.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):
“I enjoyed racing in Austin for the first time last year, even though we didn’t get the best result on our car in the end. The track is exciting to drive and very challenging for a driver, so I’m looking forward to racing there again. The whole team wants to get back on the podium as soon as possible and, even though we know it will be tough, we are all pushing for that this weekend.”
The 2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WEC press kit, along with rights-free video material and photography of all TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s motorsports projects, can be found at https://toyotagazooracing.com/media/.
For all the news and more like, share, follow or subscribe to our social media channels.
Facebook @TOYOTAGAZOORacingGlobal:
https://www.facebook.com/TOYOTAGAZOORacingGlobal
X @en_toyota: https://x.com/en_toyota
Instagram @TOYOTA_GAZOO_Racing:
https://www.instagram.com/TOYOTA_GAZOO_Racing
YouTube @TOYOTAGAZOORacingJPchannel:
https://www.youtube.com/@TOYOTAGAZOORacingJPchannel
';