Sébastien Buemi Battles Through Frustration at the 6 Hours of Fuji

Sébastien Buemi faced a challenging and dramatic race at the 6 Hours of Fuji, where TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s impressive winning streak on home soil came to an unfortunate end. Despite a strong team effort and a determined drive, Buemi and his teammates Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa saw their podium hopes slip away in the closing moments of the race.

Competing in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 65,800 fans, Sébastien Buemi, in his #8 GR010 HYBRID, delivered a committed performance, keeping the team in the fight for a top position despite the car's revised power and weight parameters. The trio looked poised to secure a podium finish, but a late-race drive-through penalty dashed their hopes, ultimately dropping them to a disappointing 10th place.

Buemi started the race from second position but faced early setbacks, falling to fourth after a safety car on lap two. As the race unfolded, he continued to battle hard, and through a combination of skillful driving and a clever fuel and tyre strategy, the #8 car remained in the hunt. After handing the car over to Brendon Hartley, Buemi’s efforts helped position the team for a potential comeback.

The race saw intense competition, with Buemi’s #8 machine climbing back into contention for the podium. After nearly four hours of relentless racing, Ryo Hirakawa, having taken over from Hartley, pushed hard to hold onto a top-three finish. However, a penalty in the final minutes of the race, resulting from an incident with the leading #6 Porsche, saw the #8 GR010 HYBRID drop down the order, finishing 10th overall.

While the result was far from what Buemi and the team had hoped for, they remain focused on the upcoming championship-deciding race in Bahrain on 2 November. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is just 10 points behind Porsche in the fight for the manufacturers' title, and Buemi will be looking to cap off the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship with a strong finish in the final race.

Despite the frustrations at Fuji, Sébastien Buemi’s determination and skill were on full display, and the team’s focus now shifts to the ultimate challenge in Bahrain.

“It was a bit of a disaster for us. We had a solid start, considering we were a bit slower than our rivals. I had no chance to race into turn one because the acceleration of the other cars was much better. But we came back into it, then got unlucky with the safety car. Without the drive-through penalty we would have finished on the podium which would have been an acceptable result. We’ll analyse everything, regroup and come back stronger in Bahrain.” Sébastien Buemi