24 Hours of Le Mans: For Toyota, it’s now or never
Toyota was the fastest team on the test day. A performance that augurs well for the rest of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But there's no need to get carried away.
At Toyota, things are looking up. On the first day of testing, the car bearing number 8 achieved the fastest time of the test day. The lap times were quicker than last season, indicating that performance is likely to be strong at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.
Despite this initial good result, David Floury, technical director of Toyota, remains cautious. « No easy sessions with the safety cars, full course yellow, lots of red flags. We couldn’t achieve everything we wanted. There’s work to be done for the week. It doesn’t matter, what matters is being in the lead in a week (for the race, Ed). »
According to these first runs, the executive of the Japanese firm asserts that the fight for victory is going to be very close. It’s going to be a tough battle. I see Ferrari very strong, followed by Cadillac, Alpine, BMW, and us very close behind, so it’s going to be a good fight.
The lap times should continue to decrease as the sessions progress. The cars have more power compared to 2024. The track has new asphalt between the Arnage corner exit and the first left of the Porsche Curves. « It’s less bumpy. »
In terms of stakes, Toyota had a lengthy battle with Ferrari for the victory last year. The Japanese forces will be eager to take their revenge in 2025. But for that, they will need to perform very well in qualifying, which is not the strong point of the hypercars #7 and #8 at the start of this season. Knowing that the race pace is much more solid, the reigning world champion team could make a move.
