Toyota Gazoo Racing driver quotes afer 24h Le Mans qualifying 17.09.2020: 24 Hours Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe Thursday, September 17th 2020 Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7): “It felt really good to be back on track; it’s been a while since we’ve been here. Straight away I felt at home and we took over from where

24 Hours Le Mans
Circuit de la Sarthe
Thursday, September 17th 2020




Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7): “It felt really good to be back on track; it’s been a while since we’ve been here. Straight away I felt at home and we took over from where we left off last year in terms of our feeling with the car. We did a lot of aerodynamic tests to make sure we are in the right window and we tried to improve the car balance.



It felt pretty good but of course it can get better; we tried to maximise our learning and get ready for Saturday. Good job from Kamui in qualifying to take first place, but the race is our only focus.”




Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7): “We expected track conditions to be quite bad but they were all right, just evolving lap by lap. On long runs we are not fully satisfied with the set-up so we will look at the data and try to find some solutions but we are going in the right direction.


The car feels good, we just need small adjustments because 24 hours is long so we have to feel comfortable and consistent. My qualifying lap wasn’t particularly quick; it was enough to be P1 but 2017 was the mega lap.”





José María López (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I am very happy to be back and it felt great to drive my first laps here in more than a year. It’s been hard work today with not much time to think but the team has done a great job and the cars have been quick. Kamui and Mike did a great job as usual.


We are still chasing the balance so we will try to improve. Hyperpole is more important than qualifying, and the race is the real target but it was nice to see the #7 fastest in qualifying.”




Sébastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8): “Things have gone quite smoothly today; we had no real issue on what has been a very important day in terms of preparation. Happily the track conditions were much better than expected which helps in terms of set-up comparison.


With so little track time this year, every lap counts more than ever so we have tried to maximise our time and effort. Kazuki did a good lap and it’s nice to see the two TS050 HYBRIDs in first and second in qualifying, but this was only a warm-up for the hyperpole.”



Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8): “We have been busy today, with a lot of driving time and hardly any time in between sessions. Before qualifying we went through everything we had in the plan and tried different set-ups. There is still a lot of work to do, so we will study and compare everything to see which set-up is the most efficient.



It’s gone well so far, with some good aero tests in the morning then set-up in the afternoon, and qualifying was preparation for hyperpole. It has been smooth but we have a lot to do.”




Brendon Hartley (TS050 HYBRID #8): “It is awesome to be back on track again, particularly here at Le Mans. Last year I got my first taste of the TS050 HYBRID in practice at Le Mans and you can feel that this car was made to drive here. Today it has been great to get more laps.



It’s been a real pleasure to drive the car again and to start our preparations so now I am just looking forward to the race. We’ve got plenty to do to be ready but we’re all motivated and working hard.”








Alastair Moffit - photo TGR