Sebastien and Toyota start the new WEC season with a double podium

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing dominated the opening round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) to earn a one-two victory in the 1000 Miles of Sebring in the face of strong Hypercar competition.

After a tense race-long battle at the front, World Champions and 2022 Le Mans winners Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa completed a perfect result for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing by finishing second in the #8 GR010 HYBRID, just 2.168secs behind the car #7.Relentless consistency, flawless team operations and strong tyre management combined as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing overcame the challenge of new Hypercar rivals from Cadillac, Ferrari and Porsche to lap all competitors twice and earn the team’s 40th WEC victory.

Hypercar battle resumes in Portugal in a month’s time with the 6 Hours of Portimao on 16 April, the second of seven races this season.

“I am obviously very pleased for the team to start the season with a one-two and such a strong performance. Every driver wants to win but there are two cars in the team and there can be only one winner; the #7 guys had a great race today. The whole team has performed amazingly well all week to put us in such a strong position compared to the opposition. This is just the first step and it will be a tough season but I am really happy to get the one-two here.” Sebastien Buemi