WEC 2023 TEAM & DRIVER
DRIVER
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MIKE CONWAY
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 7 Driver
Born-- August 19, 1983 Nationality-- Sevenoaks, Great BritainMike Conway (born August 19, 1983) is a British racing driver. Starting from kart racing, he progressed to Formula Ford and Formula Renault UK in his home country, the UK. He entered British F3 in 2005 and won the championship the following year. In 2007, he participated in GP2 and also experienced working as an F1 test driver. From 2009 to 2014, Conway participated in the IndyCar Series in the United States. From 2013, he competed in the LMP2 class of the WEC. In 2014, he became a WEC reserve driver for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, and from the following year he became a regular driver of car No. 7. In the 2019-2020 season, his team then won the championship. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he teamed with Kamui Kobayashi in 2021 to win the team’s first victory while also winning back-to-back WEC titles. In 2022, his team won two races to finish 3rd in the series ranking. In 2023, he aims to win the title again driving the No. 7 car.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
KAMUI KOBAYASHI
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 7 Driver
Born-- September 13, 1986 Nationality-- Hyogo, JapanKamui Kobayashi (born September 13, 1986) is a racing driver from Hyōgo Prefecture. He started karting at the age of nine and became the champion of the All Japan Junior Karting Championship in 2000 and the ICA All Japan Karting Championship the following year. In the same year, he took part in the Formula Toyota Racing School (FTRS) and won a scholarship. In 2002, on his 15th birthday, he obtained a limited competition license and made his four-wheel race debut in Formula Toyota. Since 2004, he has taken on the challenge of competing in European formula racing as a TDP (currently TGR-DC) driver. He scored a win in GP2 in 2008 and was GP2 Asian champion the following year. He has been fully involved in F1 since 2010 and has finished 3rd in the 2012 Japan Grand Prix. Since 2015, he has participated in Super Formula. He has also participated in WEC since 2016. At the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, he took pole position with a course record. In the 2019-2020 season, they won four races to be crowned champion for the first time. In 2021, Kobayashi’s team won the Hypercar category (LMH) in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time with the GR010 HYBRID (car No. 7). The following year, he also served as the head of the WEC team and won a second consecutive class title as a car No. 7 driver and helped Toyota win the Manufacturer's title. In 2023, he will continue to compete in WEC with the same team structure. Kobayashi will also continue to compete in Super Formula.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
JOSÉ MARÍA LÓPEZ
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 7 Driver
Born-- April 26, 1983 Nationality-- Río Tercero, ArgentinaJosé María López (born April 26, 1983) is an Argentine racing driver. He started karting at the age of seven and went on to compete in entry-level formula races in European countries from 2001. The following year he won the Italian Formula Renault championship. In 2005, López moved up to GP2 competition. Meanwhile, from 2007, he began participating in the GT category of the American Le Mans Series and the FIA GT Championship series. After that, he returned to his home country temporarily, but in 2014 he returned to Europe and participated full-time in the WTCC, becoming the champion for three consecutive years. He has been a test driver for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing since the winter of 2015 and has been a regular driver for the team since 2017, teaming up with Kamui Kobayashi and others. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he has finished on the podium in all four races since 2018, while winning a coveted first victory in 2021 and finishing the 2022 series ranked 3rd. In 2023, López will aim to win the WEC title and Le Mans with his No. 7 teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
SÉBASTIEN BUEMI
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 8 Driver
Born-- October 31, 1988 Nationality-- Aigle, SwitzerlandSébastien Buemi (born October 31, 1988) is a Swiss racing driver. He started karting in 1993 and has won titles in the Swiss and European series. In 2004, he made his racing debut in German Formula BMW, and the following year he won a scholarship from a global beverage manufacturer, after which he finished the series ranked 2nd the following year. After that, he participated in the Spanish and Euro F3 series and the A1 Grand Prix. In 2007, Buemi took a spot in GP2 as a substitute for an injured driver and became a reserve and test driver for the F1 team. He went on to become a regular driver from 2009 to 2011. From 2012, he competed in the WEC with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, and as a regular driver of the No. 8 car, he won the championship in 2014 and in the 2018-2019 season. And at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he won three consecutive titles with Kazuki Nakajima from 2018 to 2020. In 2022, he drove the GR010 HYBRID and won the series championship for the third time with two wins and three second places, including a victory at Le Mans. In 2023, he will continue to aim for back-to-back Le Mans wins and a fourth WEC title.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
BRENDON HARTLEY
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 8 Driver
Born-- November 10, 1989 Nationality-- Palmerston North, New ZealandBrendon Hartley (born November 10, 1989) is a New Zealand racing driver. He started karting at the age of six and won the Formula Ford Festival in his native New Zealand at the age of 13. The following year, he received a scholarship from a world-class beverage manufacturer and participated in Formula races throughout Europe. In 2009, he was offered the chance to become a reserve and test driver for an F1 team but declined the offer in order to focus on racing. After that, Hartley participated in spot entries in GP2, and since 2012, he has participated in endurance competitions such as WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2017, his team also won Le Mans and the WEC title. The following year he became a regular driver in F1, and the following year he also became a test driver. He joined TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in late 2019 and teamed with Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima for the 2019-2020 WEC season to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and finish the series ranked 2nd. In the 2021 season, he finished second in the series driving the GR010 HYBRID. In 2022, Hartley drove the No. 8 GR010 HYBRID and won two series races with Sébastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa, including one at Le Mans, and thus won his third series championship. In 2023, the team will continue to aim to win Le Mans and the WEC series.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS -
RYO HIRAKAWA
GR010 HYBRID Car No. 8 Driver
Born-- March 7, 1994 Nationality-- Hiroshima, JapanRyo Hirakawa (born March 7, 1994) is a racing driver from Hiroshima Prefecture. He started karting in 2007 and won the first round of the All Japan Junior Karting Championship series the following year and went on to win the season title. In 2009, he attended the Formula Toyota Racing School (FTRS) and became the youngest driver in history to obtain a JAF International Limited A license at the age of 16 years and one month. In 2012, he participated in the Japan F3 Championship series and became the champion. The following year, he competed in Super Formula. In 2015, he participated full-time in the GT500 class of SUPER GT and won two races, including the opening round. In 2017, Hirakawa teamed with Nick Cassidy and became the youngest duo ever to become champions (both at the age of 23). In 2016 and 2017, he also competed in the European Le Mans Series at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Super Formula was suspended in 2016 and 2017 but returned in 2018, and Hirakawa went on to finish the 2020 season ranked 2nd, and the following year he missed one race but still managed to rank 4th on the season. Hirakawa also competed in the GT500 class of SUPER GT until 2021, where he remained in competition for the title almost every year. From 2022, he competed in the WEC, driving the No. 8 car of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. He won his first World Championship with a record of two wins and three second places in the series, including a victory at Le Mans. In 2023, the team will continue to aim for back-to-back WEC titles and a long-awaited Super Formula title in Japan.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
TEAM
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- Team Founder
Chairman of the Board of Directors, Toyota Motor CorporationAkio Toyoda
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- President, Toyota Motor Corporation
Chairman, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing EuropeKoji Sato
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- Vice Chairman, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing EuropeKazuki Nakajima
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- Team PrincipalKamui Kobayashi
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- President, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing EuropeMasato Hirai
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- Team DirectorRob Leupen
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- Technical DirectorPascal Vasselon
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- General Manager, GR Powertrain Development DivisionMasakiyo Kojima
