Kamui Kobayashi says Toyota’s dominant run in the 2026 World Endurance Championship has answered those who doubted its ability to win against strong manufacturer competition.
The Japanese brand has re-established itself as the benchmark in the Hypercar class this year after significantly overhauling its V6-powered LMH, which has now been rebranded as TR010 Hybrid.
After winning the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time since 2022 in June, Toyota wrapped up the manufacturers’ title in Barcelona with a race to spare, while the drivers’ title will also be fought exclusively between its two crews.
Toyota’s return to form follows a difficult spell in Hypercar, with 2025 marking a particular low point as it failed to win a race until the Bahrain season finale and made several operational lapses over the course of the year.
Those struggles fuelled criticism among some observers, who argued that Toyota achieved most of its success during a lean period for endurance racing with limited factory opposition.
But after triumphing against a field featuring 17 cars and eight manufacturers, Toyota said it has proven it can win against the very best in the business.
“We have been struggling in Le Mans the last few years. And everybody told me that when the competitors were back in this championship, Toyota was not strong enough,” team principal/driver Kobayashi said in the Barcelona press conference.
“But this year we won Le Mans, and we won manufacturers’ again. So this year and this era, it's very high competition. Every team and every manufacturer is doing an amazing job.
“Everybody tried to beat us. Still, we are fighting with them. And still, we are doing a great job.
“Next year, I guess it's going to be even harder. McLaren is back. Ford is back as well. So the competition will be even higher.
“We're going to have one more race [this year]. So it's going to be challenging. But we do our best. And hopefully I think next year we'll be back again.”
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa
Photo by: JEP
Toyota has been an ever-present fixture in the WEC since its rebirth in WEC, having stayed in the championship during its lean years in the late-2010s to early-2020s.
After dominating the first two seasons of the Hypercar era in 2021-22, it slipped back in 2023 as the competition intensified in the category. However, while it failed to win Le Mans or the drivers’ title for three consecutive years, it must be noted that it clinched the manufacturers’ title in both 2023 and 2024.
During a difficult 2025 campaign, Toyota frequently raised concerns about the championship’s Balance of Performance system, which regulates the performance of different cars to maintain competitive parity.
In response, it began developing an updated car designed to remain competitive even under restrictive BoP settings, including heavy ballast and reduced power.
With the new TR010 Hybrid, Toyota has won four out of the seven WEC races held so far, while it was also on course to win at Austin until a late hydraulic issue robbed Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway of the top spot.
Kobayashi highlighted how Toyota has made improvements in every department this year, with its surprise victory at Fuji demonstrating its sharpness on the pitwall.
“Going back through this year, I think we were very strong in every race; very consistent.
“We did not have the best car sometimes, but we scored quite big points. So as a team, we made a huge step this year.
“Of course, the car has been better with the new car, TR10. We've been working hard and we've been getting more together.
“One of the things this year is a bit different. Each of our members had more smiles than last year somehow, because we had a good car. And I think that brings us very strong achievements this year.”
Read Also:
Daniel Juncadella says he “f***ed” up as Genesis goes from first to last in Barcelona WEC
WEC Barcelona: Toyota scores dominant 1-2 to seal manufacturers’ title