Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa delivered Toyota a 10th victory at Fuji Speedway in a race decided by just 0.591 seconds, after a bold late-race strategy call turned the No. 8 TR010 HYBRID’s fortunes around. The win stretches Toyota’s lead in the WEC manufacturers’ championship and puts the trio at the top of the drivers’ standings with two rounds left.
A home win worth celebrating
Toyota Racing claimed another emotional victory at its home event, the 6 Hours of Fuji, on 1 October 2026. Buemi, Hartley and Hirakawa took first place in the No. 8 TR010 HYBRID, marking Toyota’s 10th win at this circuit. The result extends the team’s lead in the FIA World Endurance Championship manufacturers’ standings to 23 points, while the No. 8 crew now leads the drivers’ championship with just two rounds remaining in the season.
A race that didn’t go to plan — until it did
Poor weather forced qualifying to be cancelled, so the No. 8 car started from eighth on a damp track. Buemi made quick progress early on, gaining two positions as the car worked into the top six during the first half of the race.
The second half brought more trouble. Hartley was pushed into a spin early in the fifth hour, and when Hirakawa took over the car in sixth place, a podium finish looked unlikely as the race entered its final hour.
Everything changed with 55 minutes left, when a safety car period opened the door for a decisive gamble. Expecting a longer stoppage while barriers were repaired, the team refuelled the car without changing tyres, a call that put Hirakawa into the lead once racing resumed with 20 minutes to go.
As rain began to fall in the closing laps, Hirakawa held his nerve and crossed the finish line just 0.591 seconds ahead of the chasing pack to secure the win in front of a 72,326-strong crowd across the weekend.
Championship standings
The victory moves Buemi, Hartley and Hirakawa to the top of the drivers’ championship. The No. 7 crew of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries sits second, 10 points back, with two rounds of the season still to run.
What the team said
Toyota Racing’s Executive Vice President, Hiroki “Giano” Nakajima, thanked the fans and team for their support, calling the win a result earned through pressure and persistence rather than speed alone. He said he was proudest of the process behind the result, pointing to the team’s continuous effort to learn from setbacks, communicate openly and grow stronger together, describing it as what defines Toyota Racing.
Race result: No. 8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid
- Drivers: Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryō Hirakawa
- Finishing position: 1st
- Laps completed: 203
- Best lap time: 1:31.159
- Total race time: 6:01:01.299
What’s next
The penultimate round of the 2026 FIA WEC season heads to Spain for the inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 18 October.
Toyota’s motorsport heritage
Toyota’s involvement in motorsport spans more than 60 years across multiple disciplines worldwide. Under its philosophy that “roads build people and cars,” the brand uses what it learns on track, especially in extreme endurance racing conditions through the FIA WEC, to inform how its road cars are developed.
Source: TOYOTA RACING press statement, Dubai, UAE, 1 October 2026.
