End of series for Toyota at the 6 Hours of Imola
As in Qatar, the Japanese brand's race was largely anonymous. Apart from an intense battle with Antonio Fuoco's Ferrari, the reigning world champions were in trouble.
Despite being well qualified, the two Toyotas could not compete with the leading Ferraris and the BMW. At times, they tried to be aggressive and bring competition to the other contenders, but without much success.
The #8 was the most successful this Italian weekend. With a fifth place in the end, it brings a certain amount of points, but is already 25 points behind the world championship leaders, the drivers of the Ferrari #51.
A gripping battle
However, this hypercar offered one of the most beautiful battles of the race. On a rather classic strategy, it found itself momentarily fighting for the provisional podium against the Ferrari #50. The prancing horse car was much faster, but Sébastien Buémi’s defense was heroic. A defense to be shown in all driving schools.
Faced with the Swiss wall, Antonio Fuoco almost attempted the impossible. The two cars collided three times approaching Tamburello before skidding straight into the gravel. While the Toyota got away without significant damage, the Ferrari had a puncture and had to return to the pits.
INSANE Toyota and Ferrari battle 😱⚔️
If you’re not watching the race, WHY NOT?!
Watch now on https://t.co/IPZa0nvsLu 🎥#WEC #6HImola pic.twitter.com/mFghW7T6ur
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) April 20, 2025
« The race was eventful with a bit of contact and the penalty. Maybe a podium could have been within reach, but considering all that, we scored quite a lot of points today. I think we did our best because we were not on the level of the Ferraris. I am quite satisfied with my performance. Now, we are going to work very hard to have the opportunity to fight at Spa », said Sébastien Buémi, from the #8.
See also: 6 Hours of Imola – Race: The Ferrari #51 played a perfect role
In the garage next door, the grimaces were also present. On a track where they shone last year, the Toyotas were never able to take command of the race under regular conditions. Struggling with the tires and battling with other hypercars, the #7 lost significant time.
Meeting in Spa
« Obviously, the race was difficult for us. At the end, I had a lot of tire degradation and couldn’t attack in the last two stints. I didn’t expect this, but I think it’s because I was following the #6 Porsche at the beginning of my stint. That probably damaged the tires and caused the degradation. Overall, we didn’t have enough pace to fight with Ferrari », announced Kamui Kobayashi, team principal and driver of the #7.
To see the dominant Toyotas we were used to in previous seasons, the drivers and the team will need to put in significant work. The break will be very short as the 6 Hours of Spa is already approaching. On the weekend of May 8, 9, and 10, they will have to return to battle on the track.
With this defeat on the Imola circuit, Toyota ended a very long streak. Since 2017, the second round of the World Endurance Championship always favored the Japanese forces. They had maintained nine consecutive victories.
