The main target may need been on the title contenders, however Toyota reminded of its title-winning pedigree within the FIA World Endurance Championship by locking out the entrance row of the grid for the season-concluding 8 Hours of Bahrain
The outcome replicated that achieved by the Japanese marque final 12 months – a day earlier than it clinched its seventh Producers’ crown within the collection. There may need been no likelihood of one other Toyota title 12 months on, following a disappointing marketing campaign on the worldwide pinnacle of the self-discipline, however the model put itself in pole place to salvage its season with a podium end, if not higher, within the following day’s race.
It was Kamui Kobayashi who posted the quickest lap behind the wheel of the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid Hypercar that he shared with Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries, stopping the clocks 0.151 seconds faster than Brendon Hartley within the sister #8 automotive. That represented the Japanese star’s 18th profession pole – second on the all-time listing – and on Saturday, he would search to equally add an 18th victory to his glittering CV.
“The automotive felt nice, the lap was nice, and the staff did an incredible job,” Kobayashi enthused. “It’s no secret that we’ve had a extremely powerful season; we’ve struggled rather a lot and nonetheless haven’t completed on the rostrum but this 12 months, however we’ve had a variety of success with the GR010 general and tomorrow is its final race earlier than we replace it for 2026, so we’ll be pushing onerous to come back away with a win.”
Of the championship protagonists, Antonio Giovinazzi secured seventh spot within the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P. Along with James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi, the Italian aimed to raise the laurels within the Drivers’ World Championship battle in Bahrain, as they entered the ultimate race holding a 13-point benefit on the summit of the standings over the privately-run #83 AF Corse entry.
Robert Kubica put that automotive twelfth within the pecking order, however far worse fortune befell the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963. Defending world champion Kévin Estre locked up heading into Flip 1 on his first flying lap, setting the tone for a irritating session that in the end left the red-and-white German prototype 18th and final on the Hypercar grid – an early blow to the Frenchman and team-mate Laurens Vanthoor’s bid to show the tables on their Ferrari rivals within the chase for the crown.
LEXUS LIGHTS UP LMGT3Finn Gehrsitz led an all-Lexus-and-Mercedes top-four lockout in LMGT3 qualifying, as title-chasing Manthey 1st Phorm struggled for velocity below the fading Sakhir solar.
Gehrsitz posted two laps sooner than any of his adversaries may muster within the prime ten Hyperpole shootout to safe a second profession pole within the FIA WEC, having equally topped the timesheets at Spa-Francorchamps again in Could.
Tomorrow’s race is ready to get underway at 14:00 native time (12:00 CET).
