The reigning World Champions missed out on the top-10 Hyperpole shoot-out, despite both drivers giving their best. Brendon Hartley and Kamui Kobayashi ended the session just 0.003secs apart, indicating both had extracted the maximum from their GR010 HYBRIDs.

The #8 GR010 HYBRID of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa will start from 15th, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries 16th in their #7 GR010 HYBRID.

The day had started with third practice, which gave drivers the last opportunity to analyse the degradation and performance of the Michelin tyres, which is expected to be a critical aspect of Saturday’s race on a track where tyre wear is relatively high.

With preparations complete, Kamui and Brendon took the wheel for a 15-minute qualifying session, using the medium compound tyre and aiming to reach Hyperpole. Kamui set his fastest lap on his first attempt, while Brendon took one lap longer to get more heat in the tyres. Both attempted to improve on subsequent laps but could not extract more performance, despite valiant efforts.

An eighth-row start means TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will rely on all its driving experience, tyre strategies and race craft to move into the World Championship points in Saturday’s race, which begins at 2pm.

Earlier in the day, Toyota joined the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for a dedicated presentation about the sustainability benefits of hydrogen. Toyota outlined its multi-pathway vision for carbon neutrality – which aims to provide a range of mobility solutions suitable for different customers’ needs and circumstances – as well as its efforts to develop hydrogen through motorsports.