TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes on the challenge of spectacular Spa-Francorchamps when the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) moves to Belgian for round three on Saturday 10 May.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is not only a legendary date in the endurance racing calendar, it is also the final race before the Le Mans 24 Hours on 14-15 June and therefore an important step in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations to fight for a sixth win at La Sarthe.
After a hard-fought double points finish in round two at Imola last month, the team aims to kick-start its World Championship challenge at a Spa-Francorchamps circuit where it has excelled in the recent past. In its 12 WEC races there, it has won eight times, including a record-breaking winning streak from 2017 to 2023.
So far in 2025, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has yet to stand on the podium, but it overcame challenging circumstances via a mixture of smart strategy, determined driving and strong team work to score consistent points in Qatar and Imola. It sits third in the manufacturers’ World Championship, 39 behind leaders Ferrari.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of two home races for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in WEC, alongside Fuji Speedway, due to its proximity to the team’s base in Cologne, Germany. A large contingent of employees will make the 120km journey to cheer on the GR010 HYBRIDs when they take on a highly-competitive 18-strong Hypercar field featuring Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans stepped up a gear in April when the team conducted a two-day test at the flowing high-speed circuit, which has been resurfaced over almost half of its 7.004km length since last year’s WEC race there.
A large crowd typically welcomes WEC to Spa-Francorchamps and they get their first chance to see the Hypercar class of 2025 on track when practice begins on Thursday 8 May with two 90-minute sessions, prior to qualifying the following day (3.25pm CEST). The race begins at 2pm on Saturday 10 May.
Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):
“Spa is always a big race because it is the last event before Le Mans. So, it’s an important moment in our preparations because it’s the last chance to fine-tune our processes, learn more about the car and build an even closer team feeling in a race situation. Spa is a fantastic circuit, with great history and usually a big crowd, so it’s a race all drivers want to win. I really enjoy driving there and I always look forward to this race, although the weather can be a question mark. We need to be ready for anything which adds even more challenge to the weekend. The competition will be tough as usual and as a team, we’re ready for a close fight.”
Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):
“Spa is definitely one of my favourite tracks and it normally throws something at you, often with weather. That’s the charm of Spa; you never know what you’re going to get. It’s also a special event for us because it’s one of our home races with the factory only an hour down the road. It’s great to have our colleagues joining us because they don’t get many opportunities during the season. I hope they get to enjoy an exciting race.”
Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):
“We feel a bit disappointed with the result at Imola because we were on course potentially for a podium and it slipped away, so we are looking forward to getting back in action again so quickly at Spa. It’s always cool to be there, with a lot of local fans and plenty of colleagues who will travel there to support us. Le Mans is approaching very rapidly and Spa is another important milestone in our preparations, so we are looking forward to getting started.”
Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):
“It’s the final race before Le Mans so we will try our very best to go into the big race with a strong result. The track been resurfaced since our last race at Spa, but we tested there, so we have good data to analyse, and we will be well prepared. At Imola and Qatar we showed how hard we are fighting. We didn’t have enough the pace to fight for the win, but we were not far behind. We have a strong team and a strong car so I hope with all the small improvements we will make, we can compete for victory.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):
“Spa is always a special place to race; it’s fast, flowing, and unpredictable. The weather can change in a heartbeat, which adds to the challenge, but that’s what makes it exciting. As a team, we’re focused on executing our weekend cleanly and building momentum heading into Le Mans. The goal is to fight at the front and collect as many points as possible.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):
“We have had two tough races, but I feel like as a team we have worked strongly together and maximised our results from Qatar and Imola. When we don’t have the performance to fight at the front, it’s important to score solid points, because it’s a long season and our target is still to win the World Championship. There hasn’t been much time since the last race but I know the team is working flat-out so we will come back stronger at Spa.”
