What a way to bring up a century. Last weekend’s inaugural 6 Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar held on 16-18 October brought Sébastien Buemi his record 100th appearance in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and the series' most successful driver celebrated it in the best possible fashion: by winning.
Toyota seized absolute control on race day in Spain, mastering the changing conditions to lock out the top two steps of the podium for their first one-two finish of the year. With this masterclass, the manufacturer claimed the Manufacturers/Teams’ title for an astonishing eighth time across 14 seasons, and their fifth in six years during the current Hypercar era. Buemi laid the foundations right from the start, snatching the lead on the opening tour and pulling away before handing the #8 TOYOTA RACING TR010 Hybrid over to team-mates Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa to maintain the charge.
This triumph marks the trio’s third victory of the 2026 campaign, following previous wins at Imola and Fuji. It stretches the Swiss star’s incredible career tally to 29 wins from his 100 outings in top-tier endurance racing, leaving him perfectly positioned to chase an unprecedented fifth Drivers’ crown at the upcoming season finale at Monza from 6-8 November.
It was far from a straightforward afternoon, however. "Having not done any laps in the wet in Barcelona until the race began, it was always going to be difficult to know if we would be fast or not," Buemi reflected. He even picked up a penalty right at the start for moving out before the start-line, admitting it was his own mistake. Yet he successfully navigated the chaos of the opening lap—noting that the two Genesis cars seemed eager to brake late—and kept his machine pointing forward.
Despite heavy pace, the team had to constantly guess when the circuit was dry enough to switch to slicks, while safety car periods continually chewed up their hard-earned margin. They even lost significant time during a Full Course Yellow, though Brendon Hartley delivered an amazing couple of laps to vault back ahead of the #7 car before Ryō Hirakawa closed it out brilliantly at the end.
Now nearing the end of his 13th campaign of FIA WEC competition, the 37-year-old shows zero signs of slowing down. When asked about his enduring motivation, Buemi points straight to the passion. "I love what I do," he fires back. Having spent his entire endurance career with Toyota, he credits that deep stability and long-standing relationships dating back to 2012 as the bedrock of their success, allowing them to pull off masterclasses like their strategic win in Japan last month.
Here’s to the next 100.
