Toyota: BMW has advantage in Barcelona WEC after private test
As the Hypercar field heads into uncharted territory, Toyota believes title rival BMW has an edge over its rivals
Toyota expects BMW to have a performance advantage at the World Endurance Championship's Barcelona round after the German team conducted a private test at the venue. The 2026 WEC will conclude with two six-hour races in Europe, following the cancellation of events in Qatar and Bahrain due to the war in West Asia. While Hypercar teams have a solid grasp of Monza, the Barcelona circuit presents a new challenge.
BMW, Cadillac, and Genesis were the only manufacturers to book the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for testing, while Toyota did not have the opportunity to do so. Toyota's technical director David Floury stated that organizing a test was difficult due to logistical constraints. Toyota plans to rely on simulations and maximize free practice to prepare for the race.
Nyck de Vries, a Toyota driver who won the Le Mans 24 Hours last year, echoed Floury's concerns about the lack of testing. However, BMW motorsport boss Andreas Roos believes the field will remain closely matched, acknowledging that the Barcelona test provided BMW with a good reference.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
