Toyota claimed their third consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours title this past Sunday. The victory was sealed by Kazuki Nakajima in the number eight car, whose performance earned him a personal hat-trick of wins at the event.
Toyota on Sunday won their third consecutive title in the Le Mans 24 Hours endurance race. Their driver Kazuki Nakajima came in the lead in the number eight car to take the chequered flag. This win is also his personal hat-trick in the Le Mans race.
Sebastien Buemi, Nakajima's Swiss teammate, has now won three consecutive times at the prestigious Sarthe circuit. This event also serves as the final curtain call for hybrid-powered cars before the sport transitions to the Hypercar era in 2021.
Co-driver Brendon Hartley added a second Le Mans trophy to his collection, having previously won in 2017 while driving for Porsche. This year, Hartley took the place of Fernando Alonso, the double F1 world champion who had secured wins in 2018 and 2019. The 88th edition of this historic race, which first began in 1923, was the first ever to be held without a live audience because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a significant change from the prior year, where roughly 250,000 fans, many from the UK, filled the stands at the Circuit 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Le Mans 24 Hours first took place in the year 1923 and this year was its 88th edition. This is the first time that the race was held without any live audiences due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the previous year, the race saw an attendance of 250,000 at the Circuit 24 Hours of Le Mans among which many of them were British motor racing fans.
Before getting into the winning car, Hartley admitted that the atmosphere felt off, noting that the absence of the fans in the stands was deeply felt by everyone involved.
The second-place spot on the podium went to Switzerland's Rebellion Racing, with their R13 Gibson car piloted by Norman Nato from France, Gustavo Menezes from the US, and Bruno Senna from Brazil. Toyota rounded out the top three with their number seven car.
It was another frustrating outing for Toyota's second entry, the number seven car. Despite starting from pole position, the team—consisting of Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez, and Mike Conway—finished third, mirroring their runner-up positions from the last two years.
Toyota stands as the only major manufacturer in the LMP1 class to be named World Endurance Champions for Le Mans 2020. The number seven car faced a setback when a turbo issue forced a thirty-minute pit stop, dropping them to fourth place. However, a spirited recovery by the drivers brought them back onto the podium. Meanwhile, Aston Martin took home the FIA GT Manufacturers World Championship.