TOYOTA GAZOO Racing takes on the challenge of spectacular Spa-Francorchamps when the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) moves to Belgian for round three on Saturday 10 May.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is not only a legendary date in the endurance racing calendar, it is also the final race before the Le Mans 24 Hours on 14-15 June and therefore an important step in TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations to fight for a sixth win at La Sarthe.
After a hard-fought double points finish in round two at Imola last month, the team aims to kick-start its World Championship challenge at a Spa-Francorchamps circuit where it has excelled in the recent past. In its 12 WEC races there, it has won eight times, including a record-breaking winning streak from 2017 to 2023.
So far in 2025, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has yet to stand on the podium, but it overcame challenging circumstances via a mixture of smart strategy, determined driving and strong team work to score consistent points in Qatar and Imola. It sits third in the manufacturers’ World Championship, 39 behind leaders Ferrari.
Spa-Francorchamps is one of two home races for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in WEC, alongside Fuji Speedway, due to its proximity to the team’s base in Cologne, Germany. A large contingent of employees will make the 120km journey to cheer on the GR010 HYBRIDs when they take on a highly-competitive 18-strong Hypercar field featuring Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s preparations for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans stepped up a gear in April when the team conducted a two-day test at the flowing high-speed circuit, which has been resurfaced over almost half of its 7.004km length since last year’s WEC race there.
A large crowd typically welcomes WEC to Spa-Francorchamps and they get their first chance to see the Hypercar class of 2025 on track when practice begins on Thursday 8 May with two 90-minute sessions, prior to qualifying the following day (3.25pm CEST). The race begins at 2pm on Saturday 10 May.
“Spa is definitely one of my favourite tracks and it normally throws something at you, often with weather. That’s the charm of Spa; you never know what you’re going to get. It’s also a special event for us because it’s one of our home races with the factory only an hour down the road. It’s great to have our colleagues joining us because they don’t get many opportunities during the season. I hope they get to enjoy an exciting race.”
