GR010 HYBRID further refined for 2022 to aim for a 4th-straight title and 5th-straight win at 24 Hours of Le Mans

GR010 HYBRID was developed by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) for the 2021 series of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in accordance with the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) regulations, in order to compete in the pinnacle Hypercar class. In WEC, LMP1 class cars competed in the pinnacle class until the 2020 season. TGR competed in this class with its TS050 HYBRID car and won 24 Hours of Le Mans three years in a row from 2018 to 2020, while also winning two consecutive WEC series championship titles. It was as the successor to that TS050 HYBRID car that the GR010 HYBRID was developed for the 2021 season.

Two of GR010 HYBRID competed in the newly established Hypercar class last season as cars No. 7 and No. 8. In the six races of that 2021 series, car No. 8 won Rounds 1, 2, and 6, while car No. 7 won Rounds 3, 4 and 5 to give the GR010 HYBRID a sweep of all six races, which gave TGR a fourth consecutive win at 24 Hours of Le Mans and a third consecutive championship title in the WEC series.

The 2022 model GR010 HYBRID that competes in the second season of the WEC Hypercar class is a further advanced development of the 2021 model. Its basic hybrid system consisting of a 3.5L V-6 turbocharged engine that delivers a max output of 500kW/680PS at the rear wheels and a hybrid motor powered by lithium-ion batteries that delivers 200kW/272PS of drive force at the front wheels is the same combination as on last season’s model, but modifications have been made to the engine to accommodate the 100% renewable fuel that WEC newly adopts this year. Changes have also been made in the sizes of the tires and wheels. The new wheel combination is 12.5 x 18 inch forged RAYS magnesium alloy type front wheels that are mounted with 29/17-18 size Michelin tires and 14 x 18 inch rear wheels mounting 34/71-18 size tires. In addition, some changes have also been made in the car’s bodywork.

In order to equalize the performance of the participating cars, WEC adopts Balance of performance (BoP) regulation in order to suitably limit power output. Having won all of the rounds of last season’s series, GR010 HYBRID has been subjected to more severe BoP this season as of the opening round, including further limitation of the energy that can be used per stint. What’s more, the speed range within which the front hybrid motor can be used is also subject to a new BoP restriction, with use of the front motor now limited to speeds over 190 km/h in both dry and wet track conditions as of the time of the opening round, which means that GR010 HYBRID can now only run on the power of the engine to the rear wheels at speeds under 190 km/h.

In order to achieve maximum running performance under these severe regulations going forward, the development team will continue to focus on control technologies for achieving the optimum balance of high power output and controllability within the limits of the regulation. And all efforts will be aimed at winning a five-consecutive win at 24 Hours of Le Mans in Round 3 of the series and a fourth straight series championship title.

GR010 HYBRID

VEHICLE SPECS