Toyota said “it’s obvious” that some Hypercar manufacturers were hiding their true speed during the official Le Mans test day.
Although the Japanese squad led the field in data analysis for long run average lap times, technical director David Floury strongly warned against taking the test day classification at face value.
Asked whether the competition was sandbagging, he replied: “We are the fastest of the ones who showed their hands. The truth, I think, we will know in the end. I don’t believe the performance I’ve seen on Sunday from some of our competitors, pure and simple.”
Toyota believes it has detected tactical games from its rivals, particularly on the straights. Due to the repositioning of multiple hypercars within the regulatory aerodynamic window, top speeds across the grid have increased compared to 2025.
Toyota’s extensive update over the winter of the GR010 Hybrid, now labelled TR010 Hybrid, explicitly targeted a reduction in drag. Yet, apparently, not everyone is showing what their package can do.
“It’s obvious that some of the manufacturers are playing games in the speed trap to not show their hands,” Floury added. “So, they are hiding a bit, for sure. There is enough data available to see this, so it’s a bit of a stupid game, to be honest.”
New aero package delivers: Drivers more satisfied
Toyota could have enjoyed a thoroughly successful test day, were it not for Ryo Hirakawa’s accident with the #25 APR Oreca of Jake Hughes, who spun on cold tyres at the exit of the first chicane.
Hirakawa attempted to pass the LMP2 on the right, but the spinning Oreca snapped right into his path, collecting the side of the #8 Toyota. The impact launched Hirakawa into a spectacular brief airborne ride.
Toyota got away with it, as the chassis sustained no structural damage. The mechanics repaired the TR010 Hybrid, which was back out on track at the very start of the afternoon session. “A bit of an unnecessary exercise for our boys,” Floury said.
Hirakawa, on the other side, took it more lightly: “It’s better to get the bad luck out of the way before the race.”
Aside from that incident, the Cologne-based squad enjoyed a trouble-free run.
“Today was a good day and we went through about 90% of the test items that we wanted to”, said Ryan Dingle, Race engineer of the #8 Toyota.
The primary focus rested on the new aero package, with on-track data correlating precisely with simulator models. Only the partial resurfacing of the track between the first chicane and Mulsanne, alongside the new Michelin tyres, required minor fine-tuning on-site. The aerodynamic updates are already yielding results – particularly through the ultra-fast Porsche Curves, where the Toyota struggled with balance last year.
“We definitely have progressed,” Floury confirmed. “It’s a better starting point than what we had last year.”
This progress is mirrored in the drivers’ feedback. While Floury leaves the final verdict to his pilots, he revealed: “The feedback I got, yes. They were definitely happier than last year. The car is more consistent and racable.”
Additionally, improvements were made to the car’s performance when trailing in the dirty air of other vehicles, optimising aerodynamic stability in traffic – a crucial factor with a packed 62-car grid at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
For the Toyota tech boss, there is no question that the race pace will accelerate drastically in 2026. Floury attributes the fact that the number of lap times below the 3m30s mark across the grid more than doubled from 178 (2025) to 362 (2026) to a combination of several factors: the new aero window, the new Michelin rubber, and the fresh asphalt.
Regarding the tyres, Kamui Kobayashi experimented with all three compounds (soft, medium, hard) during the afternoon session, ending up within just a few tenths of a second on each. “It’s difficult to get it wrong,” Floury joked.
Because the tyre compounds feature a massive performance overlap compared to previous generations, Floury suggested that even the hard tyre could become a genuine option for the race, should the currently possible high temperatures hit hard over the two race days.
However, whether Michelin will allow quadruple stints remains up in the air. “Not yet, it’s too early. It is also in Michelin’s hands to answer this question. The tyres that we used in the test day need to be checked before we can commit to that,” Floury concluded.
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