Toyota wins Le Mans to end recent Ferrari dominance
After three years of Ferrari dominance, it was Toyota that came out on top after a hectic battle to win the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in front of 350,000 attending fans.
Toyota — victorious for five years between 2018 and 2022 — secured the win in its GR010 Hybrid hypercar thanks to epic drives from team members Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in the #7 car. After 381 laps of action, the three drivers finished just 10.913 seconds ahead of the second-placed #20 BMW M Team WRT car driven by Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Sheldon van der Linde.
For Conway and Kobayashi, it is their second Le Mans victory after their triumph in 2021, while it is a first win for Dutchman de Vries.
There was cause for more celebration, as the #8 car driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa finished in third to secure a double podium finish for Toyota.
“We have waited so long for this victory”
Kamui Kobayashi, Team Principal and driver of the #7 Toyota, said:“It was very challenging for us, but we never gave up. Our car has had a lot of second places at Le Mans but finally we got our second win. We have waited so long for this victory, it feels amazing. The whole week wasn’t easy, including the race which wasn’t smooth. We had a puncture early and that made it tough for us. But Mike, Nyck, our engineers and our pit crew did a great job. It was an incredible day. Thank you to everyone who made it happen, including all the fans who make this such a special event.”
Mike Conway, #7 Toyota, said: “It was a crazy race. I knew we could move forward from our qualifying position, but I just didn’t know how far, or how tight the battle would be. Positions were swapping back and forth, and it wasn’t until the last couple of hours that we felt we were in with a chance. It has been an amazing job by everyone in the team. Kamui and Nyck were super fast, they really got us into the fight at the front when it mattered, and credit to the pit crew because they were faultless. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, everyone in Cologne, Higashi-Fuji and at Toyota. This one is really special.”
Nyck de Vries, #7 Toyota, said: “I am incredibly grateful, relieved and happy to win Le Mans. This is my first time win here, so I’m delighted. It’s been a long journey this week and during the race as well. We had various setbacks and challenges to overcome and, frankly speaking, at times I thought we were out of contention. But it just shows that you can never give up. It all came together and I’m so thankful for all the work the team has done to achieve this incredible milestone.”
2026 24 Hours of Le Mans Result
1st - #7 Toyota Racing - 381 Laps
2nd - #20 BMW M Team WRT - +10.913secs
3rd - #8 Toyota Racing - +20.417sec
4th - #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota - +32.381sec
5th - #51 Ferrari AF Corse - +2mins 22.423sec
6th - #35 Alpine Endurance Team - +2mins 30.205sec
7th - #83 Ferrari AF Corsa - +2mins 35.573sec
8th - #007 Aston Martin THOR Team - +2 Laps
9th - #101 Cadillac WTR - +2 Laps
10th - #36 Alpine Endurance Team - +2 Laps
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Toyota