For Brendon Hartley, securing a fifth career crown in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Monza last weekend (6-8 November) did more than just cement his status among the greats of long-distance racing. It helped exorcise a personal demon.
Just under five months earlier, Hartley and team-mates Sébastien Buemi and Ryō Hirakawa were right in the hunt for top honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It would have meant a fourth outright success at La Sarthe for the New Zealander, but it simply was not to be. The #8 TOYOTA RACING trio ultimately settled for third in the championship's flagship event, finishing barely 20 seconds shy of the victory that went to the #7 TR010 Hybrid. Lifting the Drivers' trophy in Italy days later made the result feel entirely redemptive.
I know how much work every individual has put in to improve,
"There were real mixed emotions after Le Mans, especially for me," the 37-year-old candidly reflected. "When you have a chance to win that race and it slips through your fingers, it’s hard to take."
"I think we all took it bad, but I took it a bit personally, because during a stint when I was in the car, I took a bit longer to get by the Cadillac, which allowed the sister car to jump us at the next pit sequence, so I took responsibility for that. Even if for a big part of the race we were dominant, it slipped away..."
Spurred on by that disappointment, two wins over the second half of the campaign—adding to their curtain-raising success at Imola back in April—catapulted Hartley, Buemi, and Hirakawa straight to the summit of the standings. They arrived at the Monza finale holding a 17-point advantage over their stablemates. While neither Toyota could challenge at the front around the legendary 'Temple of Speed', a tenth-place finish for the #8 machine, one spot ahead of the #7, comfortably sealed the deal as the Japanese automotive giant secured both the Manufacturers' and Drivers' spoils.
"I know how much work every individual has put in to improve," Hartley mused. "Against such tough competition, everyone has had to step it up and find performance in every area, including us drivers. After all of the effort that went into the TR010 HYBRID, we knew this season represented an opportunity."
"I’m really proud of how the three of us fought back over the second half of the season, because we were really strong. At Monza, we just had to beat the sister car, and we covered them the whole time. It was an incredible feeling to finish as world champions, and that brings confidence going into next year..."
