Toyota one-two in Barcelona as Buemi wins his 100th endurance race

Sébastien Buemi marked his 100th race in the FIA World Endurance Championship with victory. At the 6 Hours of Barcelona, he won alongside Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa as Toyota Racing finished first and second, clinching the manufacturers’ world title with one round still to go.

The Catalan circuit was hosting its first ever WEC race, and the team had never run the TR010 HYBRID there. After two days spent understanding tyre wear, Ryō Hirakawa put the #8 on the front row, just 0.170 seconds off pole.

On Sunday, rain shuffled the deck. On a constantly evolving track, Buemi quickly moved into the lead. A five second penalty for a start procedure infringement, served at his second stop, had no lasting effect. By the halfway mark, Hartley held a ten second lead over the #7, with the rest of the field more than twenty seconds back.

A safety car with two hours remaining bunched up the field, but both Toyotas immediately rebuilt their margin by setting the fastest laps. Hirakawa crossed the line 0.583 seconds ahead of Nyck de Vries.

The team’s fourth win of the season delivers its eighth manufacturers’ title, the first under the Toyota Racing banner. After Fuji, the #8 claims a second consecutive victory and extends its lead over the #7 in the drivers’ standings to 17 points. Still frustrated with himself over the penalty, Buemi praised his teammates and the whole team. The drivers’ title will be decided between the two TR010 HYBRIDs at the 6 Hours of Monza on 8 November.