Kamui Kobayashi earned the team’s first pole of the season by lapping the historic Interlagos circuit in 1min 23.140secs in the #7 GR010 HYBRID he shares with Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, earning a World Championship point in the process.

Sébastien Buemi completed an all-Toyota front row in second place, just 0.122secs behind in the #8 GR010 HYBRID he drives alongside Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, after a closely-fought Hyperpole contest.

Four hours of practice prior to qualifying allowed the team to optimise the two GR010 HYBRIDs for the 4.309km circuit, located in the São Paulo suburb of Interlagos. Those three practice sessions featured exceptionally close lap times throughout the Hypercar field, setting the scene for an exciting qualifying contest.

A 12-minute qualifying session saw 19 Hypercars compete for 10 places in Hyperpole, where the leading grid positions would be determined. Kamui and Sébastien took on qualifying duties for their respective cars and both hit the track on new medium Michelin tyres as soon as the session began. The first two timed laps were used to warm the tyres before both drivers began their attack.

Kamui went quicker on his second flying lap, which was enough for third place. Sébastien on the other hand, initially set the pace with his first effort and did not improve on his next two laps, ending up seventh in a session which saw the top 10 separated by less than half a second.

In Hyperpole, Kamui set the best time for the #7 with his first effort, positioning himself in provisional pole, while Sébastien improved on his second flying lap to move into second place. After a tense wait for the final moments of the session to count down, the team’s first front pole, and first row lock-out, since Bahrain 2023, were confirmed, rewarding a strong team effort from drivers, mechanics and engineers.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing goes into Sunday’s race, which begins at 11.30am (4.30pm CEST), determined to fight for its second win of the season and score significant points towards its World Championship challenge. The team is now only 11 points behind leaders Porsche in the manufacturers’ standings, while Kamui and Nyck are within 16 points of the drivers’ World Championship lead.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):

“We got the best possible result as a team. Me and Séb certainly enjoyed it today. We had an amazing car, and it was fun to drive, especially because Interlagos is such a great track. We have struggled a bit in qualifying at times this season because the competition is really strong, but finally we have a pole position which is a fantastic feeling. After Le Mans, the team made a big effort for this race, thank you to them and everyone at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, and a special thanks to the fans here at Interlagos for their support.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):

“I really enjoyed it. It was my first qualifying for a long time, so it was nice to have the chance and I am very pleased with the result. It’s a great performance from the team and a one-two in qualifying for the first time since last year. It is just qualifying and there’s a long race to go, but it gives us a good starting position. Hopefully we can help car #7 win the race and get some good manufacturers’ World Championship points as well.”