The focus might have been on the title contenders, but Toyota reminded of its title-winning pedigree in the FIA World Endurance Championship by locking out the front row of the grid for the season-concluding 8 Hours of Bahrain
The result replicated that achieved by the Japanese marque last year – a day before it clinched its seventh Manufacturers’ crown in the series. There might have been no chance of another Toyota title 12 months on, following a disappointing campaign at the international pinnacle of the discipline, but the brand put itself in pole position to salvage its season with a podium finish, if not better, in the following day’s race.
It was Kamui Kobayashi who posted the fastest lap behind the wheel of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar that he shared with Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, stopping the clocks 0.151 seconds quicker than Brendon Hartley in the sister #8 car. That represented the Japanese star’s 18th career pole – second on the all-time list – and on Saturday, he would seek to similarly add an 18th victory to his glittering CV.
“The car felt great, the lap was great, and the team did a great job,” Kobayashi enthused. “It’s no secret that we’ve had a really tough season; we’ve struggled a lot and still haven’t finished on the podium yet this year, but we’ve had a lot of success with the GR010 overall and tomorrow is its last race before we update it for 2026, so we’ll be pushing hard to come away with a win.”
Of the championship protagonists, Antonio Giovinazzi secured seventh spot in the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Together with James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, the Italian aimed to lift the laurels in the Drivers’ World Championship battle in Bahrain, as they entered the final race holding a 13-point advantage at the summit of the standings over the privately-run #83 AF Corse entry.
Robert Kubica put that car 12th in the pecking order, but far worse fortune befell the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963. Defending world champion Kévin Estre locked up heading into Turn 1 on his first flying lap, setting the tone for a frustrating session that ultimately left the red-and-white German prototype 18th and last on the Hypercar grid – an early blow to the Frenchman and team-mate Laurens Vanthoor’s bid to turn the tables on their Ferrari rivals in the chase for the crown.
LEXUS LIGHTS UP LMGT3
Finn Gehrsitz led an all-Lexus-and-Mercedes top-four lockout in LMGT3 qualifying, as title-chasing Manthey 1st Phorm struggled for speed under the fading Sakhir sun.
Gehrsitz posted two laps faster than any of his adversaries could muster in the top ten Hyperpole shootout to secure a second career pole in the FIA WEC, having similarly topped the timesheets at Spa-Francorchamps back in May.
Tomorrow’s race is set to get underway at 14:00 local time (12:00 CET).
