The reigning manufacturers’ World Champions opened the season by maximising the opportunities available in a challenging Qatar 1812km event to sit third in the standings. Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished sixth in their #7 GR010 HYBRID, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa were fifth in the #8 sister car.

Now the eight-race season moves to Italy for round two at a venue with fond memories for the team. Its first victory last year came in a weather-affected race in Imola, when the #7 GR010 HYBRID conquered the conditions to earn a win which kicked started the team’s challenge for both world titles.

As the first of three European races, culminating in the Le Mans 24 Hours in June, Imola also represents an important step in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s efforts to win for the sixth time at La Sarthe.

The Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola has become one of motorsport’s most recognisable circuits since its opening in 1953. It has hosted World Championship endurance racing six times, including its return to the WEC calendar last year after a 40-year absence, to replace Monza.

A large and passionate crowd is once again expected to watch 18 Hypercars from eight manufacturers – Alpine, newcomers Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, Peugeot and Porsche – do battle alongside 18 LMGT3 cars over the Easter weekend.

On-track preparations begin on Friday 18 April with two 90-minute free practice sessions, before the starting grid is decided in qualifying and Hyperpole on Saturday, from at 3.10pm CEST. The Six Hours of Imola begins at 1pm on Sunday 20 April.

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

“We have good memories of Imola last year, which was our only victory for car #7. We had other chances to win during the season but at Imola we made the most of the changing weather conditions. It was easy to make a mistake, but we got our strategy right and drove well. I feel Imola last year really brought us together as a team because we came back from a disappointing result in Qatar by getting stronger together and finding the opportunity to win. This season we also faced some challenges in Qatar so I hope we can come back with a similar team performance in Imola, hopefully with better weather this time.”

Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):

“I’m looking forward to racing again at Imola, especially after our win last year. It’s a great, old-school circuit with a good mix of corners, but it’s also quite tight so overtaking is not easy. We saw last year how important it is to get the strategy right there, so that will be a big priority. After a short break since Qatar, now it feels like the season is really starting to ramp up and I can’t wait.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7):

“Imola last year was my first win with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing so it holds special memories for me. Our situation is quite similar to last season: we had a challenging start in Qatar but maximised our potential by executing a clean race and making the most of our opportunities. Hopefully last season’s result at Imola is a good omen and we can again fight at the front.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):

“I really enjoy racing in Italy, and Imola is a fantastic circuit which is fun to drive. It’s also a challenging track where getting the set-up and strategy right is particularly important, and that will be our focus in free practice. We need to extract the maximum performance from our cars, because we know the competition is strong, but we’re really motivated, and we will keep pushing hard.”

Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):

“Even if the result in Qatar was not what we normally aim for, the execution from the whole team to score strong points despite the challenging circumstances shows what we are capable of. If we can repeat that performance in Imola we will be there or thereabouts at the chequered flag, scoring more big points to help us challenge for both world titles. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):

“I hope we can be more competitive in Imola compared to Qatar, which was quite a difficult weekend. The team has been working hard to prepare, and we saw last season that our GR010 HYBRID is competitive at Imola, so I am optimistic we can fight for the win. I’m excited to race again at Imola because it’s a traditional circuit and there are so many passionate fans in the grandstands to support us. I am sure we can give them an exciting race again.”