Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen and Antonio Fuoco secured a dramatic Lone Star Le Mans victory after a late hydraulic failure devastated the leading Toyota.
Nyck de Vries held a comfortable advantage in the #7 GR010 Hybrid before a sudden power steering breakdown forced a late retirement. The heartbreaking exit at the Circuit of the Americas leaves Toyota with urgent technical questions to answer following consecutive mechanical hitches.
Championship Battle Blown Wide Open
The manufacturer admitted the collapse was “tough to take” as the failure resets the championship landscape. Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and de Vries now sit tied on 75 points alongside the #20 BMW crew. Robin Frijns and René Rast retain the drivers’ championship lead on a tiebreaker, despite only managing a twelfth-place finish in Texas.
Ferrari capitalised on the late drama as Antonio Fuoco secured a historic victory to elevate the Italian marque in the standings. Toyota retain their manufacturers’ championship lead with 140 points, but their advantage over BMW has shrunk to just nine.
Intense Scrutiny Ahead Of Fuji
The Japanese team faces mounting engineering pressure to resolve these recurring reliability faults ahead of their crucial home race. While Yuki Tsunoda evaluates his future amid wider motorsport reshuffles, Toyota must focus entirely on stabilising their Hypercar package.
The World Endurance Championship resumes for the 6 Hours of Fuji on 25 September.
