Fifth world title for Sébastien Buemi, crowned at Monza

Sébastien Buemi secured the fifth world endurance title of his career at Monza on Sunday. Alongside Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, he claimed the 2026 FIA WEC drivers’ championship and completed a world title double for TOYOTA RACING in its very first season under that name.

The #8 TR010 HYBRID crew arrived at the finale with 17 points in hand over the sister #7 car, their only remaining rival. A top five finish guaranteed the title, but the Italian weekend proved tricky. Rain dominated free practice, and qualifying delivered the first dry laps of the weekend at a circuit where the car had never been tested. Both Toyotas narrowly missed out on Hyperpole, with the #8 starting from 14th and the #7 from 17th.

In front of a weekend crowd of 75,181, both cars fought their way towards the points through four safety car periods. The #8 crossed the line in 11th place, just ahead of the #7, which was enough to seal the championship.

The title rewards a season that brought three wins for the #8 crew and a particularly strong second half of the year. With four victories in total, including the Le Mans 24 Hours and its home race at Fuji, TOYOTA RACING had already secured the manufacturers’ crown in Barcelona.

“Not winning Le Mans with car #8 was hard, but winning the drivers’ World Championship makes up for it,” said Sébastien, now a World Champion five times over, as he praised a team that won in the very first season of the TR010 HYBRID.