Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda has apologised to its six World Endurance Championship drivers in the aftermath of the team’s exclusion from last weekend’s Silverstone round.
The #8 car, piloted by Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, led home the #7 of Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez and Mike Conway for a third straight 1-2 finish.
But post-race checks determined that the skid block on both cars deflected more than was permitted under the regulations.
The two cars were excluded from the results, handing victory to Rebellion Racing, as Toyota pinpointed the damage on Silverstone’s revised kerbs.
Toyota has opted not to appeal the decision and has expressed its apologies to its six drivers.
“All our drivers drove our cars with their full power and the fight for victory was truly exciting for the fans so I truly feel disappointed to lose the result,” said Toyoda in a statement.
“I would like to apologise to the six drivers that we could not make a car with which they can win even though they drove all out.
“On the other hand, I would also like to thank our drivers for their trust in our cars and for pushing to the limit, as this meant we could learn about improvements which can be made.
“We will make our cars even stronger for the next race so that the drivers can drive all out again at Fuji Speedway and fight for another one-two victory to strengthen our challenge for the World Championship.
“For the fans, thank you very much for your continued support. I hope you are looking forward to see an exciting race in October.”
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