Toyota Gazoo Racing is expecting a closer fight with the non-hybrid privateers as it prepares for the 4 Hours of Silverstone, the season opener for the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The Japanese manufacturer comes into the season as reigning LMP1 champions, once again fielding two TS050 Hybrids. The #7 car will once again by driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez. Brendon Hartley replaces Fernando Alonso in #8, joining reigning champions Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima.
While the pair of TS050 Hybrids dominated the 2018/19 Super Season, the privateer non-hybrids of Ginetta and Rebellion appear to be closer this year than ever before, thanks for revised Equivalence of Technology and Success Ballast rules for the new season. As a result, the quickest Rebellion was just 0.2s off the Toyotas at the end of the Prologue.
“I think we are well prepared for the start of the new season; our car performed well at the Prologue and completed a lot of laps, " said Kamui Kobayashi.
"We don't know exactly how competitive the non-hybrid LMP1 cars will be but we expect them to be closer, which will be more challenging for us. Obviously we are expecting to fight for the World Championship and Le Mans, so everyone wants to make a positive start at Silverstone. I am feeling confident.”
That sentiment was shared by reigning champion Sebastien Buemi: “It's always a good feeling to start the season as World Champion; we achieved a lot last season. Now we are focused on the new season and the first race at Silverstone, where we want to make a winning start," he said.
"The competition from the other LMP1 cars looks to be quite challenging this year following the regulation changes so we are expecting a fight and we know we need to prepare ourselves thoroughly to get the right result on Sunday.”
'We all want to make a strong start at Silverstone, but it will not be easy because we know car #7 is very strong and we expect much more from our non-hybrid LMP1 competition this season as well," Kazuki Nakajima added.
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