Some numbers tell stories. Toyota’s 100 in the WEC is one of them. This Sunday April 19th, when the lights go out at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari to start the 6 Hours of Imola and the first round of the 2026 season, the Toyota TR010 Hybrid number 7 driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway will complete the Japanese manufacturer’s centenary of races with hybrid technology in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
One race for the number 100. And if the mathematics align, potentially victory number 50.
Why this number matters
Since Toyota returned to the WEC in 2012 betting exclusively on hybrid power, the Japanese team has accumulated a record that has no equal in modern endurance motorsport. Thirteen world titles, across manufacturers and drivers. Forty-nine race victories, including five wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A presence at every round of the calendar since the first year. And a philosophy of technological development that has turned the track laboratory into the test bench for the production Toyota GR Sport.
Kamui Kobayashi, who in 2026 fulfils the dual role of team director and race driver of car number 7, summarised it ahead of Imola: “It’s impressive to reach this milestone of 100 hybrid races in WEC. We appreciate the support from Toyota and all our partners who contribute so much to our story. I hope we have given the fans lots of exciting moments in that time, and we’re looking forward to many more.”
The debut of a new identity
Race 100 at Imola is not just a round number. It is also the official debut of the new TR010 Hybrid under the Toyota Racing brand, an identity the team had not used since 2015 when it still competed as Toyota Gazoo Racing. The name is not the only change. The car carries a significant aerodynamic update developed over the winter, new Michelin tyres made with 50 per cent recycled and renewable materials designed to reach optimal temperature faster than the 2025 generation, Akebono brakes on the front axle as a new technical partner, and the same 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 hybrid powertrain capable of more than 700 bhp that has powered the team for years, now running on 100 per cent renewable racing fuel.
Nyck de Vries, facing his third season with the team in car number 7, was honest about expectations before Imola: “We’ll only discover where we are at Imola. Against strong competition, we know we need a well-executed race week to fight at the front.”
The chronology of one hundred races
Toyota arrived in the WEC in 2012 with a radical philosophy: no car without a hybrid engine. In an era when most endurance prototypes were naturally aspirated, the TS030 Hybrid was technically revolutionary even if mechanically volatile. The first seasons combined outright speed with inconsistent reliability.
The first constructors’ title came in 2018-2019. And with it, recognition that Toyota’s hybrid programme was not marketing it was real engineering. In 2020, the TS050 won Le Mans with Fernando Alonso on board in the second of his two consecutive victories. In 2022, the GR010 Hybrid replaced the TS050 and began a new era governed by LMH rules. In 2024 they won Imola with a brilliant strategy in changeable conditions. In 2025 Ferrari overtook them in the championship and ended their Le Mans winning streak for the first time in four years.
And now, 2026. Race 100. The TR010 Hybrid. And Imola waiting.
What Toyota cannot do in this race: win Le Mans
One detail worth remembering in the celebration: the last time Toyota won at Le Mans was 2022. Since then Ferrari has dominated the most important race on the calendar with three consecutive victories. In 2025, the 499Ps occupied the top three positions in the drivers’ championship and won for the third consecutive year at La Sarthe. For Toyota, race number 100 is a historic celebration, yes. But also the start of what must be their resurgence season before Le Mans arrives in June.
Sébastien Buemi, who has been with the team since practically the beginning, said with genuine emotion before Imola: “It’s amazing to be preparing for our 100th WEC race. To have been involved since the first race is very cool. I’m really proud to be part of this team, particularly how we have grown stronger over the years.”
Quotes and curiosities
From 2012 to today, Toyota has competed exclusively with hybrid power in the WEC. They have never taken to the grid without it. The hybrid heart of the TR010 was developed at Toyota’s Higashi-Fuji technical centre in Japan, the same facility that develops the hybrid systems for the brand’s production cars. Two partners who have accompanied the team since the early years, DENSO and AISIN, continue to supply the electric motor and front axle inverter in 2026. Buemi is the only driver who has been in the Toyota cockpit across all of the team’s WEC seasons. And if the TR010 wins at Imola this week, Toyota will reach their 50th WEC victory on the same circuit where they won for the first time in real race conditions in 2024.
Number 100 begins on Tuesday April 14th at the Prologue. Sunday April 19th it becomes history.
Sources: Toyota Racing official, FIA WEC official fiawec.com, Motorsport.com, Autoracing1, Pit Debrief, AutoHebdo, FIA WEC official entry list, Toyota Racing WEC driver statements
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