Toyota closes WEC season on much-needed high with Bahrain 8 Hour domination

Toyota Gazoo Racing dominated under the floodlights in Bahrain to round off the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The Japanese team captured a 1-2 finish and its first victory of the year, extending its streak of scoring at least one podium finish per season dating back to the championship’s inaugural campaign in 2012.

The pole-sitting No. 7 GR010 Hybrid of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries led home the sister No. 8 car with a winning margin of 19.3s. The team’s pair of LMH prototypes controlled the majority of the eight hours, with a throwback performance for the defending manufacturers' champion reminiscent of its victories during the 2023 season, when it won every race aside from Le Mans.

Both GR010s were fast over a single lap, and over multiple stints when drivers were tasked with double-stinting tires on the high-deg circuit. The only car to truly challenge the Toyotas was the No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie, which finished seventh after leading briefly at the halfway mark before being handed a drive-through penalty that essentially ended its hopes of victory. On tire life, it wasn’t as strong as the GR010s and was unable to claw its way back in the closing stages.

De Vries and Sebastien Buemi, both in at the end, held on to the top two places after a late-race restart with 30 minutes to go that bunched up the field after more than three consecutive hours of green flag running.

"It was certainly a very good way to finish the season. It's been a challenging journey, but we finished on a high in a challenging race," de Vries said. "To have No. 8 joining us on the podium is great – a well-executed drive."

Toyota’s return to form wasn’t the biggest headline of the night – it was Ferrari clinching both the Hypercar manufacturers’ world championship and, with its No. 51 crew of James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi, the drivers’ title too. 

It was a measured run for the two factory 499Ps, which finished third and fourth on the night. The No. 50 completed the podium after a late swap between the cars to secure a 1-2-3 for the Ferraris in the standings on a day in which Porsche and Cadillac’s title aspirations evaporated.

"Feeling good. A lot of emotions for me. It was a long day, a long eight hours. After winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this is the best day of my life. We won two titles. What can I say? Fantastic. It's what I always dreamed of with Ferrari," said Giovinazzi amid the post-race celebrations, where the Ferrari Hypercar team was joined by a number of key guests from the brand including its chairman, John Elkann.

The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, in with a slim chance of the drivers’ title, finished sixth behind the Le Mans-winning No. 83 AF Corse 499P, while the sister car ended up a lowly 16th and off the lead lap. 

It was a tough end to the season for the GM factory team, and in the case of Jenson Button, his professional career, too. The speed wasn’t there after a pre-event BoP hit, and a costly 30-second stop-go for the No. 38 for its role in an incident involving the No. 54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari only added to the pain.

"I gave it my absolute all, as always," Alex Lynn said of coming up short in the No. 12. "I didn't leave anything on the table. With the BoP we have, we always knew it was going to be a challenge for us this weekend and, whilst I don't think it's going to go our way today, we gave everything we had out there, so we have to be proud of that. Although today may not turn out to be our race, I think we need to take a step back and remember that we’ve had a very good year overall as a team.”

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s 963s, meanwhile, were nowhere to be seen at the sharp end throughout the weekend. In the final outing for the factory prototype program on the world stage, the No. 6 crossed the line 13th, a few seconds ahead of the No. 5. It was far from the dream end to the season Roger Penske’s team hoped for, as discussions continue behind the scenes to salvage a presence for the German marque and its 963 program in Hypercar next year.

Hypercar may have been a bust for Porsche, but the German marque found redemption in LMGT3 thanks to Manthey Racing. James Moy/Getty Images

It was, however, a better night for Porsche in LMGT3. Manthey successfully defended its drivers’ and teams’ titles with the 1st Phorm 911 LMGT3.R 992. American Ryan Hardwick, Porsche legend Richard Lietz and the rapid Riccardo Pera put together a calculated effort, rising up the order from the back row on the grid to fourth by the end of the race.  

Like in Hypercar, there wasn’t too much peril or drama in the title races as the season came to a close. The challenging No. 21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari and No. 81 TF Sport Corvette finished fifth and 11th, respectively, and at no point looked to be in a position to cause an upset.

"It was unforgettable. To start from the very back, everything was against us but I always had confidence; I always believed," Hardwick said.

"Yeah, this championship, and along with winning Le Mans is definitely the highlight of my driving career and also my life. I mean, like all drivers, my story is I spent most of my life racing other things and building businesses, but it's my life's work to lead me to this point. 

"With this team this year, [to] have the opportunity to drive with these guys – it’s a dream come true to be racing in the world championship in a Porsche, racing against the Ferrari for most of the season that, to me ... you can't write it any better. It comes down to the final race, and we were battling all the way to the end, and finishing within one position of each other. 

"Great competition all year. I wouldn't want to have it any other way, wouldn't want to do it with any other team, and I wouldn't want to do it with any other co-drivers."

Up front, a head-turning run for the No. 87 AKKODIS ASP Lexus saw the French team score its second win of the season. The No. 61 Iron Lynx Mercedes took a well-earned second place, which will serve as a tonic for the Italian team, which has struggled to get a handle on the AMG GT3 all season. Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin claimed third off the back of a hard-charging effort late in the race from factory driver Mattia Drudi.

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