Just a week after teasing its 2026 Hypercar on social media, Toyota Gazoo Racing has hit the track for the first time with the latest evolution of its GR010 Hybrid, conducting a maiden test session at the Paul Ricard Circuit in southern France.
Images courtesy of Passion Motors
The new machine is set to spearhead Toyota’s bid to return to title contention in the World Endurance Championship and to challenge once again for victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Its long run of WEC title successes has come to an abrupt end this season and it has not even had a car on the podium so far in 2025.
The team will retain its familiar and proven line-ups: Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries in the #7, and Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa in the #8.
The test programme
Following the Fuji 6 Hours last month, Toyota revealed the silhouette of its 2026-spec GR010 Hybrid, a move that preempted any potential leaks and took the paddock by surprise.
This week’s programme began with a short shakedown before two days of running at Paul Ricard across Wednesday and Thursday, all in dry conditions.
On Wednesday, Toyota used one of its two allocated Manufacturer Collective Test days, enabling both cars to run simultaneously, a good opportunity to directly compare the 2025 car with its 2026 successor. Thursday’s session was part of a Manufacturer Test day, limited to a single car, the new 2026 version.
What's new on the 2026 GR010 Hybrid
As usual, Toyota kept a tight lid on official communication, but despite the camouflage livery, the aerodynamic revisions are clear to see. For the first time, the Toyota design department has had a hand in shaping the Hypercar’s appearance. That influence shows most visibly in the headlight design, which now echoes the styling of the brand’s production models and concept cars.
Under the current Balance of Performance (BoP) framework, Toyota is believed to have developed the car assuming the worst-case BoP scenario: the heaviest possible weight and lowest possible power level.
The front bodywork has been completely redesigned and made sleeker, likely to improve straightline speed, while similar refinements have been made to the sidepods and rear wing.
“We’re looking for improvements in many areas, not just top speed,” TGR-E vice president Kazuki Nakajimato told The Race.
“But Le Mans showed us that top speed remains a critical issue. It should have been corrected by the dual-band BoP, but there was still a gap. That’s something we need to work on, alongside the aero and making the car more driver-friendly.”
Toyota definitely used at least one of the five ‘Evo Jokers’ available to each manufacturer between 2021 and 2027, but development is thought to go further than that. Subtle but significant changes under the skin reportedly involve updates to the powertrain and electronic control systems.
“There’s always room for improvement - whether in the powertrain, the control systems, or other areas,” Nakajima added.
Originally, Toyota had planned to roll out these changes for 2025, but the schedule was pushed back following the governing bodies’ decision to shift windtunnel homologation from Sauber’s Hinwil facility in Switzerland to Windshear Inc. in North Carolina.
“This year’s Le Mans convinced us to go further,” Nakajima admitted.
What comes next
After completing this Paul Ricard test, Toyota Gazoo Racing will now pore over the vast amounts of data collected. The 2026 GR010 Hybrid, which already passed through TGR-E’s Cologne windtunnel on October 1, is due to return there on October 28 for further correlation work.
Two additional test days are scheduled for December 10 and 12, separated by a non-running day to maximise analysis time and track efficiency.
The first of these will be a Manufacturer Collective Test (allowing two cars), while the second will be a Team Test. Toyota strategically saved its two Collective Test days for the end of the year to dedicate them entirely to the development of the 2026-spec car.
It’s highly likely that at least one more test will take place in early 2026, ahead of the WEC Prologue (March 22–23) at the Lusail International Circuit. The new GR010 Hybrid is then expected to make its competitive debut on March 28, in the Qatar 1812 km, which will open the 2026 FIA WEC season.
