Toyota secured the 2026 FIA World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship with a one-two finish at the 6 Hours of Barcelona on October 18. The #8 Toyota Racing car won the Hypercar class ahead of its sister car, while Ferrari finished third. In LMGT3, The Bend Manthey Porsche took victory after six hours of racing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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Toyota Secures the Hypercar Championship
The race began on a wet track after two dry days at the Spanish circuit. The changing conditions created difficulties for several competitors during the opening laps.
Pole-sitter André Lotterer lost the lead after Daniel Juncadella and Sébastien Buemi passed him. Juncadella then went through the gravel at Turn 5, allowing Buemi to move into first place in the #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid.
The Toyota maintained its leading position for most of the race. Despite receiving a five-second penalty for an infringement during the start procedure, the #8 crew controlled the race and finished ahead of its sister car.
Nyck de Vries helped the #7 Toyota move into second place during the second hour. The two Toyota entries later maintained their positions to secure a one-two finish.
The result gave Toyota its eighth FIA WEC manufacturers’ title in 14 seasons and its fifth Hypercar manufacturers’ championship since the category began in 2021.
Hypercar: Barcelona Race Results
The top three in the Hypercar category were:
- Toyota Racing #8 – Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa.
- Toyota Racing #7 – Nyck de Vries, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi.
- Ferrari AF Corse #50 – Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.
Porsche Wins the LMGT3 Race
The Bend Manthey secured victory in LMGT3 with its #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R. Richard Lietz, Yasser Shahin and Riccardo Pera shared driving duties in the winning car.
The Porsche finished ahead of the #10 Garage 59 McLaren and the #69 Team WRT BMW. The result kept Manthey’s hopes of a third consecutive LMGT3 title alive, while TF Sport had to wait until the final round to secure the championship.
LMGT3: Barcelona Race Results
The top three in LMGT3 were:
- The Bend Manthey #92 – Richard Lietz, Yasser Shahin and Riccardo Pera.
- Garage 59 #10 – Antares Au, Tom Fleming and Marvin Kirchhöfer.
- Team WRT #69 – Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper.
Season Finale
The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship will conclude with the 6 Hours of Monza in Italy on November 6-8. Toyota’s manufacturers’ title is decided, but the drivers’ championship battle between its two Hypercar crews will continue at the final round.
The PaddockLines team will be on site to bring you the latest news and updates from the event. Stay tuned.