De Vries: End of Toyota’s Fuji podium run ‘a tough pill to swallow’

Prior to the penultimate round of the 2024 campaign, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing had won all bar one edition of the 6 Hours of Fuji dating back to the inaugural season of WEC in 2012. After the team’s pair of GR010 HYBRID Hypercars qualified second and fourth, hopes were high for another success – but the two black machines were rarely a factor in the opening stages of the race, as they slipped to fifth and sixth.

To compound the situation, tyre degradation obliged the #7 piloted by Mike Conway to pit earlier than planned in the second hour, handing the baton over to de Vries – but then in the Dutchman’s hands, the Toyota began to fly.

After diving up the inside of Raffaelle Marciello’s BMW to snatch third into the last corner on lap 119, de Vries set about closing in on the top two shortly after mid-distance, and he pounced on Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari at the same spot five tours later.

A strategic twist saw the #7 Toyota take the lead at its next pit-stop, as the team opted to short-fuel and not change tyres – vaulting it past the #6 Porsche. Approaching the four-hour mark, de Vries was 12 seconds clear.

Kamui Kobayashi climbed into the cockpit for the final stint, with the 65,800 enthusiastic trackside fans anticipating a victory charge from the home hero, but a subsequent safety car period to help remove the stricken Lamborghini Hypercar dealt the Japanese manufacturer a blow, effectively gifting a ‘free’ pit visit to all of its rivals who had yet to stop.

That dropped the car down the order, but worse was to follow, as a clash with Matt Campbell in the #5 Porsche at Turn Three on lap 163 resulted in damage to the rear suspension and bodywork that consigned the #7 crew to an early bath – all-but ending Kobayashi and de Vries’ title chances.

“It was a tough pill to swallow for the whole team,” acknowledged de Vries. “It was hard all weekend. We were aware our race pace wasn’t good enough to challenge at the front based on our speed alone and that we needed to execute the best possible race to score good points towards both championships. We had a great strategy to do just that but unfortunately due to circumstances, we didn’t pull it off. That was a real pity.”

“It was a very tough race,” echoed Kobayashi. “The second safety car put us in a difficult situation. I tried to fight with the #5 Porsche for a couple of laps, but our lack of straight-line speed was clear.

“On the inside of Turn Three, we both committed to the corner at the same moment and couldn’t avoid contact. Unfortunately, we then had further contact, and the damage was too heavy to repair. It definitely was not our day, and I feel sorry for our home fans who supported us so much. Hopefully we will come back strong for the last race in Bahrain.”

Conway concurred, and with the Manufacturers’ crown still up for grabs – as only ten points separate Porsche and Toyota in that particular battle – the Briton insisted there would be no let-up in the Middle Eastern season finale in just under six weeks’ time.

“It was a pretty rough day on both cars,” he reflected. “Unfortunately, we didn’t score any points which is bad for our Drivers’ championship, and as a team we didn’t score well for the Manufacturers’ either. That was obviously frustrating and not the result we wanted for our home fans and all the partners and Toyota colleagues who supported us at Fuji, but there is one round to go and it’s a longer race, with more points available, so we will do our best to come back fighting.”