The FIA World Endurance Championship kicked off with a high-level strategic battle at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, where Toyota reached a historic milestone by securing its 50th win in 100 starts.
The duel with Ferrari was immediate. Both manufacturers started from the front row following the closest qualifying session in WEC history and quickly established themselves at the front in front of over 92,000 fans.
Ferrari initially controlled the race, with the No. 51 Ferrari 499P leading early, followed by the sister No. 50 Ferrari, while the No. 8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid dropped back at the start.
Top 10 Shaped by Strategy and Consistency
The race soon became a strategic contest, with tire management and pit timing playing decisive roles.
The turning point came near the two-hour mark when Toyota opted not to change tires, allowing Ryō Hirakawa to take the lead.
From that moment, Toyota controlled the race, while Ferrari’s challenge was weakened by a penalty for the No. 50 car.
Top 10:
- 1st: #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid (Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi)
- 2nd: #51 Ferrari 499P (Giovinazzi / Calado / Pier Guidi)
- 3rd: #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid (Kobayashi / Conway / De Vries)
- 4th: #35 Alpine A424 (Félix da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg)
- 5th: #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 (Frijns/Rast/Van der Linde)
- 6th:#50 Ferrari 499P (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen)
- 7th: #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 (Magnussen/Marciello/Vanthoor)
- 8th: #38 Cadillac V-Series.R (Bamber/Bourdais/Aitken)
- 9th: #007 Aston-Martin Valkyrie (Tincknell/Gamble/Dunn)
- 10th: #83 Ferrari 499P (Ye/Kubica/Hanson)
The fight for fifth place was particularly tight, with four cars separated by less than 1.5 seconds.
Perfect Execution Seals Toyota Victory
Toyota’s win was built not just on strategy, but execution.
Once in front, the No. 8 Toyota managed pace and tires perfectly, avoiding mistakes on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult.
The team also repeated its strategy with the No. 7 car, allowing Kamui Kobayashi to move ahead of Ferrari and secure a double podium.
Ferrari attempted to fight back, but struggled to regain track position and lost time in traffic.
In the final stint, Sébastien Buemi extended the gap and crossed the line with a margin of over 13 seconds, securing a dominant finish.
This victory carries major significance:
- 100 WEC starts
- 50 wins
- Perfect start to 2026
More than just a milestone, it confirms Toyota’s strength in an increasingly competitive Hypercar field.
Just behind the podium, the No. 35 Alpine A424 from Alpine Endurance Team, driven by António Félix da Costa, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg, secured fourth place after a consistent performance across the six-hour race. Completing the top five, the No. 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 from BMW M Team WRT, shared by Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde, stood out in a tightly contested midfield battle, securing an important result for the German squad.
The championship now heads to Spa-Francorchamps, where the battle between Toyota, Ferrari and their rivals is set to continue.
