The Japanese producer has revealed that it may take a page out of arch-rival Ferrari‘s book and run a 3rd automobile on a sooner or later.
However, Toyota WEC race director Rob Leupen has revealed that it’s already too late to place such a plan into place for next year and that an additional full-season entry within the Hypercar class couldn’t come earlier than 2026.
“We see what Ferrari is doing with its buyer, and we like that,” Leupen informed Motorsport.com.
“Clearly, working an additional automobile provides you extra potentialities, so it’s one thing we’re wanting into. We’re reviewing it.”
The lead time concerned in constructing a further automobile and organising the infrastructure to run it could make it not possible for a 3rd GR010 to reach within the WEC in 2025, defined Leupen.
“If we had been going to do it next year, we needed to have made the choice already,” he stated.
#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“It can’t be a short-term resolution as a result of we all know what the leadtime can be within the present circumstances.”
Toyota favours going the Ferrari route: the manufacturing unit AF Corse staff runs the extra 499P LMH for Robert Kubica and works drivers Yifei Ye and Robert Shwartzman.
“We’re not at a final decision, however when you ask me, the way in which Ferrari does it, I like that,” mentioned Leupen.
He stated further that the complexities of working a four-wheel-drive LMH could mitigate towards the route Porsche has taken by promoting its 963 LMDh to privateer groups.
An extra Toyota wouldn’t accrue WEC producer’s points and as an alternative would compete within the World Cup for Groups by which the additional AF Ferrari and the Jota and Proton Competition Porsches at the moment take part.
What’s unclear is if there can be room for a further Toyota next year.
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Photograph by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photograph
The WEC grid is on track to 40 vehicles next year similtaneouslywhile producers areand obliged to run two vehicles.
With the arrival of Aston Martin with two Valkyrie LMHs, and growth of the present one-car Cadillac, Lamborghini and Isotta Fraschini Hypercar programmes would doubtlessly imply the grid is oversubscribed.
Requested if there can be room for a further Toyota with a continued growth of the Hypercar class, Leupen replied: “What number of vehicles does Porsche run? What number of vehicles does Ferrari run? So why ought we not run three?”
Leupen added that there may very well be an overlap between the GR010 LMH and the hydrogen combustion prototype it’s planning to develop after the reveal of the GR H2 Idea at next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
The brand new hydrogen class will not be introduced till at the very least 2027.