Records set by Toyota's WEC 2026 title-winning trio
by Rachit Thukral · AutosportA dominant year for Toyota Racing has put the crew of the #8 TR010 Hybrid in the record books
Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa had already established their credentials in sportscar racing, but their names were etched into history last week following their success in the 2026 World Endurance Championship.
The Toyota trio were crowned the 2026 Hypercar champions at the Monza 6 Hours finale, following a season in which the Japanese manufacturer comfortably outshone the competition both on track and at the pitwall.
Buemi, Hartley and Hirakawa - aboard the #8 TR010 Hybrid - capitalised on the team’s improved form, eventually claiming the title by 18 points after winning three of the eight rounds.
For Buemi and Hartley, the result marked another milestone in their already illustrious careers. Both are now five-time Hypercar/LMP1 champions, making them the most successful drivers by far in WEC history. The closest anyone comes to them in terms of titles is incidentally their team-mate Hirakawa, who clinched his third crown in five years at an incredible strike rate of 60%.
Winning five titles in any world championship is a huge achievement. In fact, Buemi and Hartley are now in a very exclusive club of drivers to have won five or more titles in FIA-sanctioned championships.
- Sebastien Loeb - 9 titles (2004-12 in WRC)
- Sebastien Ogier - 9 titles (2013-18, 2020, 2021, 2025 in WRC)
- Michael Schumacher - 7 titles (1994-95, 2000-04 in Formula 1)
- Lewis Hamilton - 7 titles (2008, 2014-15, 2017-20 in Formula 1)
- Juan Manuel Fangio - 5 titles (1951, 1954-57 in Formula 1)
- Jose Maria Lopez - 5 titles (2014-16 in WTCC, 2020-21 WEC)
For Buemi, the result carried extra significance, having been the longest-serving driver at Toyota. Since joining its LMP1 attack in 2013, he has witnessed all the highs and lows at Cologne first hand and taken WEC’s overall race wins record with 29.
“It's hard to describe the feeling. Obviously, amazing to be sharing it with Brendon and Ryo,” he said. “Clearly, losing Le Mans was hard, but then winning the championship makes up for it a bit. I think that win in Fuji put us really into a championship contention and then again that amazing race in Barcelona.
“A bit obviously sad to not be able to fight [at Monza]. We were just too slow, which is a bit sad, after dominating Barcelona. But ultimately we knew coming here we had to beat car #7. We had a decent lead, but you never know with those VSCs and full course yellows what can happen, so it's difficult to realise.
“I think the team really deserves it a lot. It's been amazing for the team having to do this new car and coming here and really winning in front of everyone this time. Nobody can say we won alone, so it's an amazing feeling.”
For Hartley, this was his third title with Toyota after taking the 2015 and 2017 championships at Porsche. But after the German marque’s withdrawal from the top echelon of sportscar racing, Hartley endured an ill-fated stint in F1 with Toro Rosso before returning to his roots with Toyota in 2019.
“I'm really enjoying it now with Brendon,” added Buemi. “We were joking about it because he's younger than me [Buemi is 38, Hartley is 37], so he's a younger five-time world champion. The youngest ever! But it's a pleasure to be sharing the car with my two team-mates and Ryo obviously having the F1 race last week [in Mexico] and doing such a good job again. It's amazing.”
Following the title triumph, an emotional Hartley opened up about the impact of losing this year's Le Mans 24 Hours, admitting he had taken the defeat personally. Both TR010 Hybrids were running neck-to-neck on Sunday morning at Circuit de la Sarthe, after passing the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R of Norman Nato, when a full-course yellow changed the complexion of the race.
“There were real mixed emotions at Le Mans, especially for me,” he said. “When you have a chance to win Le Mans and it slips through your fingers, it is hard to take. Of course, we were really happy for the team that managed to win Le Mans again [with the #7 car] with all this competition.
“But I even took it a bit personally, actually, because it was a stint that I was in the car that I took a bit longer to get by the Cadillac, which allowed the sister car to jump us at the next pit sequence. So I somehow took the responsibility for that.
“Even if for a big part of the race we were dominant, it slipped away. I think we all took it badly, but I personally took a bit of responsibility, and I'm really proud of how the three of us fought back this last part of the season.”
Hirakawa’s title coronation followed a week after he enjoyed a surprise opportunity to make his F1 debut at the Mexico Grand Prix, where he scored a point for Haas. Promoted from Toyota’s Super GT and Super Formula roster, Hirakawa has steadily picked up his pace since his debut in 2022, and has now shown he can outperform his more experienced team-mates.
It says a lot about Hirakawa’s talent that Toyota hasn’t been able to identify another Japanese driver who could take over when Kamui Kobayashi steps down from driving duties in the #7 car.
“I'm just really happy, not only for car eight, but I think I can say that this is the biggest achievement for Toyota Motorsport,” said Hirakawa. “We won the Le Mans, and winning the championship for both drivers and manufacturers, I think it's a massive achievement for us.
“Big thanks to the team, and everyone did a great job. We had a really tough year last year, but we came with a new package, and we won everything, so we need to be proud of that. At the same time, we want to be even stronger for next year.
“To be honest, I can't wait for next year, but I just wanted to appreciate everyone involved. I can't wait for next year.”
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