24h Le Mans
Sébastien Ogier is already a prominent member of the Toyota family. The Japanese manufacturer invited the seven-time World Rally Champion to take the wheel of the GR010 Hybrid for the first time at the FIA WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain. Ogier soon felt at home in the hypercar, completing 84 laps during the day.
Like the Yaris WRC, the GR010 Hybrid is equipped with four-wheel drive. However, the similarities between the two Toyota machines, world champions in their respective disciplines, end there. The hypercar, driven by a 700-hp hybrid powertrain, has been developed for the track and generates high levels of downforce.
Sébastien Ogier completed 32 laps during the two-hour morning session as he got a feel for the #8 GR010 Hybrid’s roadholding characteristics. He followed up in the afternoon with a further 52 laps. Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley, the car’s regular drivers who won the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain contested the previous day, were on hand to offer precious advice.
“It was very exciting to drive the GR010 HYBRID and I really enjoyed my time in the car,” Ogier enthused. “I didn’t put myself under any pressure in terms of results because there are so many new parameters for me. I had to get used to the cornering speed, the braking, how the car is rotating and the hybrid system, which is something special. It’s a different mindset to do one lap and then try to do better on the next one, compared to rally where every corner is unique," he analysed. "Thanks to Toyota Gazoo Racing for this special opportunity to discover endurance racing.”
Nicolas Lapierre, driving the #36 Alpine A480-Gibson of Alpine Elf Matmut, recorded the quickest lap of the Rookie Test in 1:48.636 ahead of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid of Mike Conway and Charles Milesi. The #8 Toyota in the hands of Ogier and Buemi put in the third-fastest time of 1:49.017.
Milesi, the rising star of endurance who won the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers with Ferdinand Habsburg and Robin Frijns, completed 31 laps during the morning session. “Getting behind the wheel of the GR010 Hybrid for the first time was very special for me," he said. "Every endurance driver dreams of driving a car like this. I am happy with the job I did. In the beginning, I had to adjust to the braking which is different to my LMP2 car, but the team helped me to improve. The grip in high-speed corners and the power of the car was new to me, and very impressive. I got used to it quite quickly and I am happy with the job I did. So it was a good day and when you drive a car like this, you just want to have more,” he added.
More news from the Rookie Test can be found on the FIA WEC official website.
