Here is a wild one for you: according to Motorsport.com, the winning machine in the Fuji 6 Hours was actually only the fifth-fastest car on the track. Sebastien Buemi insisted that the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TR010 triumph was no mere accident, even if the team clearly lacked the pure pace to win on speed alone.
Driving alongside Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley, Buemi climbed to the top of the standings after a late safety car completely flipped the Japanese round of the World Endurance Championship. The trio was sitting in sixth place when a heavy Turn 1 crash involving the #58 McLaren 720S GT3 brought out the safety car with less than 50 minutes left on the clock. Toyota rolled the dice, electing to short-fuel the car while skipping fresh tyres entirely, anticipating a long delay to repair the damaged guardrail.
That brilliantly risky gamble paid off massively. As Motorsport.com reports, the shorter stop launched Hirakawa past both race-leading A424s from Alpine, which had played it safe with fuel and chose not to sacrifice the #35 car to boost the #36’s victory bid. Hirakawa then had to cling on for dear life, crossing the line just 0.591s ahead in what stands as the closest finish in WEC history.
It was a stunning turnaround for a crew that started eighth after qualifying was washed out. Earlier in the race, Hartley had even been delayed after spinning at Turn 1 following contact with Harry Tincknell’s #007 Aston Martin as it exited the pits. Hartley admitted he never imagined a victory was on the cards during those moments, noting that the squad had simply "outfoxed" the rest of the field with that final, razor-thin pit wall call.
Behind the scenes, the math was terrifyingly close. Toyota filled the #8 machine's tank to 72% for the final stint, leaving Hirakawa with just enough fuel for two more laps at the finish. Alpine cars, by comparison, took on around 84% of their fuel allowance. Toyota technical director David Floury admitted that figuring out how much fuel to put in came down to pure guesswork while watching the TV broadcasts to judge the barrier repairs.
Buemi summed it up best, pointing out that when you average out the performance across the race, the victory was built entirely on execution and zero mistakes rather than raw speed. It is a massive result that cements Toyota's grip on both championships, proving once again that sometimes a brilliant gamble beats being the fastest car on the asphalt.
