Toyota introduces reliability updates to WEC Hypercar following Austin heartbreak

Following its late-race drama at the Austin, Toyota has reworked parts of the hydraulic system and the software code for its Le Mans-winning TR010 Hybrid ahead of the World Endurance Championship's Fuji 6 Hours.

The #7 Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries was leading the Lone Star Le Mans when a hydraulic failure forced de Vries back into the pits, retiring the car just 10 minutes from the end.

Meanwhile, the #8 Toyota shared by Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa fell out of contention due to a pitlane speed violation.

Following an investigation, Toyota has introduced updates addressing both problems.

While Toyota Racing vice-president Kazuki Nakajima confirmed a new component in the TR010’s hydraulic system, technical director David Floury did not go into detail but confirmed changes addressing both issues.

"We solved two issues here. It was a short time [gap between the two races], but we managed to fix the two issues, and they should not reproduce," he said when asked by Autosport.

"I think we had a strong race. Unfortunately, we had issues on each of our cars. One car had a big speed overshoot, which led to a penalty, and the other one had a hydraulic failure. That's a shame because we did the job and we were in a good position. We could have had both cars on the podium and got some buffer in the championship, which we didn't do."

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Nyck De Vries

Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI

When asked about the issue on the #8 car, Floury confirmed that the car had run into a previously unseen software bug.

"It's a very small software bug that was triggered by a combination of factors we had never faced, which triggered the bug when we launched the car from the pit position," he said.

"This bug is now fixed. That was pretty unfortunate because it was not new code for COTA. It's just a combination of the different factors we were in. The sequence just triggered it to happen."

Title battle wide open before Fuji

The #7 drivers, meanwhile, hope to leave the drama behind and focus on the title fight. They are tied on points with #20 BMW drivers Robin Frijns and Rene Rast, while the #8 Toyota, the #15 BMW, and both Ferrari 499Ps also remain in contention for the championship.

"The beauty in competition is that after a bad result you get a new chance, and after a good result you get a new chance," Nyck de Vries told Autosport.

"Of course, it was unfortunate and disappointing because I think it was a great race for us. We really deserved the reward and the points for that, and it's a bit painful for the championship, but unfortunately it is the way it is and we put that behind us now.

"It's nice that we're here at our home race for Toyota, so hopefully that gives us a little bit of extra support. I wouldn't call it extra motivation, but just a little bit of a tailwind, and hopefully we can execute well."

#7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries

Photo by: Jakob Ebrey

The weekend started well with the #8 Toyota setting the best lap time in FP1, but in FP2 the TR010 Hybrids only managed P8 and P13. However, it is a known fact that the TR010 comes into its own over long race distances rather than on single-lap pace.

Traditionally, Toyota has been very strong at its home race in Fuji, winning nine of the first 10 races since 2012. Only in 2024 did fortunes change, with a seventh-place finish by the #7 in 2025 being the best result for a Toyota at the 6 Hours of Fuji over the last two years.

On the other hand, the TR010 update introduced for the 2026 season has paid huge dividends, as Toyota has been in the fight for the win in four of the five races so far.

"I think the competition is so close now that it's very tough to make predictions, because one or two tenths going forwards or backwards can cost you many positions across the whole field," de Vries, said when asked about his victory chances.

"I wouldn't say I'm going into any weekend with expectations necessarily. I think it's more about the preparation and your own approach towards the event, which is always being as well prepared as possible and trying to execute a good weekend, and then we'll see where we are."

Fuji will be a pivotal point before the season moves to Europe to decide the world championship. Toyota, who could always count on their strength at the Bahrain International Circuit in previous title fights, will have to do it without one of its best tracks this time.

"As I said, everything is very close and everything is open," de Vries said. "How strong the others are is partly out of our control. So we try to focus on ourselves and do the best we can. Hopefully, that will allow us to be in the fight until the very end and hopefully prevail."