Following on from the #7 Toyota squad detailing their hopes for the 2014 World Endurance Championship, the #8 trio are also hoping for Japanese domination in the LMP1 ranks.
Consisting of new look line up Anthony Davidson, Nicolas Lapierre and Sebastien Buemi, the three will be hoping for an instant connection as they take to the track in the Toyota TS040 HYBRID.
However, Davidson urged caution for Toyota fans as they are yet to see how they stack up against the competition: “It’s hard to know where our competition will be performance-wise. We are waiting to face them on track but you have to expect Audi will have done a good job and will probably be the one to beat despite Porsche’s heritage in this category. The target is clear for us: winning races and of course Le Mans, which remains the main goal and the race I want to win. We just have to make the final step forward after our 2013 result.”
Indeed Buemi is also confident in the car for 2014, having learnt a lot from the trials and tribulations of 2013: “I feel good and look forward to be on track for the first race. We did a lot of kilometres since the first test and the car feels good with the new regulations. Last year was my first full season in endurance and it was a great opportunity. In terms of performance we wanted to achieve more in 2013 but we learned a lot as a team and I learned a lot personally. I really believe in this year; I believe we can bounce back and achieve what we are here for.”
All the driver’s are having to adapt to Toyota’s new four wheel drive hybrid system but for one driver there is another equally important hurdle to overcome: “[Changing to the #8] is the second big change for me. Even though I know Anthony and Sébastien very well as people, we have to learn the strengths and the weaknesses of each other. I’ve known Séb for a long time and Anthony since I am with TOYOTA Racing. There are both super drivers and I’m very pleased to be their crew, but I was also very pleased to be with Alex and Kazuki! I think we have good combinations of drivers and cars,” commented Lapierre.
