Toyota Racing secured its eighth manufacturers world championship in the FIA World Endurance Championship by finishing first and second in the 6 Hours of Barcelona. The victory came in the penultimate round of the 2026 season at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the team overcame difficult weather conditions to dominate the race. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa drove the winning No 8 TR010 Hybrid, while Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished second in the No 7 car just 0.583 seconds behind. The result, detailed in an official Toyota Racing statement, ensured the title with one round to go.
The team took advantage of the wet start on new Michelin wet tyres to build a lead in the opening hour. As the track dried, both cars switched to slicks and maintained their positions at the front of the field despite a five-second penalty for the No 8 car. Hirakawa held off his teammate in the closing stages to secure the narrow victory, marking the first one-two finish for the squad since the previous season at Bahrain. This performance also contributed to a clean sweep of major honours including wins at Le Mans and Fuji.
According to post-race analysis by Sportscar365, the two Toyota cars were untroubled in the final two hours after pulling away from the chasing pack. The No 50 Ferrari AF Corse finished third, more than 39 seconds behind the winners, followed by Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in fourth. The outcome eliminated BMW and Ferrari from title contention, with Toyota ending the weekend on 212 points.
The manufacturers championship success marks the fifth title for Toyota in the six seasons since the Hypercar class was introduced. The Japanese manufacturer has now won eight titles in 14 seasons of WEC competition. In its first year operating as Toyota Racing, the team has demonstrated strong pace in both wet and dry conditions across the campaign.
Attention now shifts to the drivers championship battle between the two Toyota line-ups at the final round, the 6 Hours of Monza on November 8. The No 8 crew holds a 17-point advantage over the No 7 pairing, setting up an intra-team showdown for the title. Buemi, who celebrated his 100th WEC start in Barcelona, and his teammates will aim to seal the drivers crown in Italy.
The inaugural WEC event in Barcelona attracted 55,511 spectators over the weekend. Multiple safety car periods and changeable weather added to the challenge, yet Toyota maintained control throughout the six hours. The close finish between the two cars at the end provided a memorable way to celebrate the championship victory.
