Toyota sticks with the same driver line-up for 2026

In the immediate aftermath of its dominant one-two performance in the 8 Hours of Bahrain on Saturday night, Toyota Gazoo Racing confirmed that it will field an unchanged driver line-up in the FIA WEC next season.

Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi will continue in the No. 7, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa will again pilot the No. 8 entry.

It is the third consecutive year that the sextet will represent Toyota, following de Vries’ replacement of José Maria Lopez ahead of 2024.

Four of the drivers in its stable have been with Toyota since the start of the Hypercar era, with Buemi comfortably the longest member of the team's line-up in the FIA WEC’s top category, having been with the program since it debuted at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2012.

“Considering the season we had up to now, finishing second in the world championship is a nice boost for everyone’s morale going into next season, when we hope to come back stronger and fight for the title,” Buemi said post-race.

Hirakawa added: “Next year the target is very clear, and we are looking forward to fighting at the front like this again.”

Although the driver lineup is stable, there will be big changes elsewhere at Toyota in 2026, as it looks to reclaim both the manufacturers’ world championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans victory.

After five seasons and 20 race wins, the GR010-Hybrid is set to receive a significant aerodynamic overhaul for the 2026 season, which begins with the Qatar 1812km on March 28. It's an update so major that Toyota is considering re-homologating the car with a new model name over the winter.