Silverstone marks Toyota's 51st WEC race since it returned to top-level endurance racing in 2012. The previous 50 races included 18 victories, 16 pole and 45 podium positions, with a first-ever Le Mans triumph on 17th June a fitting way to reach the half century.
The victorious #8 chassis has been retired from service and preserved in its end-of-race condition. It appeared at the Goodwood Festival of Speed while Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda viewed the car during a visit to the team's Cologne base in July.
Inspired by the reaction to the Le Mans victory, the team targets another positive weekend at Silverstone as it looks to maintain its 100% start to the season and earn another one-two finish from pole position for its sixth consecutive WEC victory.
Toyota has finished on the podium at every visit to Silverstone since returning to the WEC in 2012, including two victories, but the team will have to relearn some aspects of the British circuit, which has been completely resurfaced since the 2017 race.
The weekend sees a return for the high-downforce specification TS050 Hybrid, which delivers more grip in corners at the expense of top speed on the straights, for its first race of the season. That configuration is better suited to the specific demands of Silverstone, which includes sweeping high-speed corners.
