Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries won the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans for Toyota, beating BMW by 10.913 seconds.
Toyota returns to the top at Le Mans
Toyota Racing claimed the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries driving the No. 7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid to victory in the 94th running of the French endurance classic.
The No. 7 covered 381 laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe and beat the No. 20 BMW M Team WRT entry by 10.913 seconds, the closest outright finish in FIA World Endurance Championship history. Toyota’s No. 8 car took third, 20.417 seconds behind the winner, and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry finished fourth at 32.381 seconds.
It was Toyota’s sixth overall Le Mans victory and ended its four-year wait to return to the top step at La Sarthe. Conway and Kobayashi became two-time winners, adding to their 2021 triumph, while de Vries earned his first overall victory at the event.
A record crowd of 350,105 watched Toyota, BMW and Cadillac fight for victory deep into Sunday, with the top four all completing 381 laps after 24 hours.
Early gamble transforms Toyota’s race
Toyota began from difficult grid positions, with its two Hypercars starting 14th and 15th. The team refused to settle into the traffic and made a decisive strategy call inside the opening half-hour. Both cars pitted early and took short fuel fills, gaining track position when their rivals made conventional stops near the end of the first hour.
That decision put both Toyotas into clean air and changed the race immediately. The No. 8 climbed from 15th into the lead, while the No. 7 reached the top 10. Toyota stayed in the victory fight from there, despite arriving at the weekend without clear favorite status.
Brendon Hartley, Ryō Hirakawa and Sébastien Buemi initially appeared to have Toyota’s stronger chance in the No. 8. The car cleared the No. 12 Cadillac and No. 20 BMW, then stayed near the front through the night. Hartley went off after the first safety-car restart, and the crew also served a drive-through penalty for a Full Course Yellow infringement.
A brake drum mounting change on Sunday morning stalled the No. 8’s progress. The delay allowed the No. 7 to move ahead, although another safety-car period closed the gaps and kept the contest open.
No. 7 recovers from costly setbacks
The winning Toyota endured its share of trouble. A slow puncture near the start of the fourth hour cost the No. 7 time, before a driveshaft sensor issue later sent it down the order. Conway, Kobayashi and de Vries still kept the car close enough to challenge the leaders.
The second safety-car period on Sunday morning became crucial. Barrier repairs were needed after Ayhancan Güven crashed the Manthey DK Engineering LMGT3 Porsche, and the neutralization pulled the No. 7 squarely back into the fight.
After the restart, four cars representing three manufacturers formed the main lead group: both Toyotas, the No. 20 BMW and the No. 12 Cadillac. BMW led Cadillac at first, while the No. 7 ran ahead of its sister car until Hartley gained time with a quicker stop.
De Vries had tires 27 laps fresher than Hartley’s and was initially instructed to pass the No. 8 on Sunday morning. He was later told to hold position, before the No. 7 went ahead during the next pit-stop cycle. De Vries also passed Cadillac driver Norman Nato on track into Mulsanne Corner.
Kobayashi seals a record-close victory
The No. 7 crew’s recovery, speed and strategy paid off in the closing stages. Kobayashi’s pace and de Vries’ passing put the car at the front, while the timing of a late Full Course Yellow also favored Toyota.
BMW stayed closest. Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde delivered the manufacturer’s best Le Mans result since its 2024 return, and Frijns overtook the tire-limited No. 8 Toyota during the final hour. The No. 20 was unable to close the remaining gap to Kobayashi and crossed the line 10.913 seconds behind.
Buemi finished third in the No. 8 with Hartley and Hirakawa, putting two Toyota cars on the podium. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry stayed involved in the lead battle but placed fourth, 11.964 seconds behind the No. 8.
What the result means for WEC
Toyota’s victory showed the value of flexible strategy in a closely matched Hypercar field. Starting outside the front rows did not stop the team from taking control, as its early pit call provided the clean air required to release the cars’ race pace.
The win followed Toyota’s No. 8 victory at the WEC season opener at Imola. BMW, meanwhile, reached Le Mans after its breakthrough win at Spa-Francorchamps. The two manufacturers carried that recent form into the top two positions at La Sarthe, with Cadillac close behind.
Ferrari AF Corse rounded out the top five with the No. 51 car, finishing 2:22.423 behind the winner. Alpine’s No. 35 placed sixth and the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari took seventh, with each completing 381 laps. Toyota’s No. 7 overcame its early problems and controlled the decisive phase, returning the Japanese manufacturer to Le Mans victory in the closest WEC finish yet.
