Toyota has become the first manufacturer to lift the lid on its new hypercar for the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
The new challenger for the Japanese marque will be known as the GR010 Hybrid, marking the clear new direction in the regulations. That being said, the fruits of Toyota’s labour in the LMP1 era have clearly not been ignored, with the GR010 Hybrid bearing a clear resemblance to its TS050 Hybrid predecessor – particularly at the rear. A new front end is arguably one of the clearest departures from LMP1 machinery and clearly demonstrates the potential for road-car modelling.
Toyota hypercar: the technical details
The GR010 Hybrid is a prototype-based hybrid car built according to the latest LMH regulations. The four-wheel-drive powertrain is powered by a 3.5l V6 twin-turbo hybrid engine. At the rear, the engine deploys 680 hp of power while the ASIN AW and DENSO-developed MGU on the front axle can deliver an additional 272 hp. The hybrid battery has been developed in-house by Toyota. According to the regulations, total energy deployment in race trim has been capped at 500 kW or 680 hp.
The chassis is designed to be similar in appearance to the Toyot GR Super Sport, a road car Toyota presented at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The programme is focused on intensifying the links between road and track, with findings from racing flowing directly into the production of the GR Supoer Sport.
The new Toyota hypercar is 162 kg heavier than its predecessor and produces 32% less power. The benchmark for the new regulations was a lap time at the 24 Hours of Le Mans around ten seconds slower than LMP1-era times. In addition, the GR010 Hybrid is 250 mm longer, 100 mm wider and 100 mm higher than the now-retired LMP1 machine. The maximum tank capacity is 90 litres.
Driver line-up unchanged
Toyota has opted not to tinker with its drive line-up ahead of the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championsh season. Reigning world champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López will drive the #7 machine, while Sébastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley will be behind the wheel of the #8. Dutchman Nyck de Vries will act as test driver for the entire season.
Below is a gallery of images from the Toyota GR010 Hybrid launch. Our overview article of the new hypercars has some more information on the competition, too.
