Alexander Wurz on Toyota’s World Championship victory: “Few mistakes”

Wurz says: “It wasn’t just the finish that was good. We got off to a strong start at Imola because we had a very good strategy and were able to execute it perfectly. On race weekends when you don’t have the strongest car, you have to make the most of what you’ve got. We managed that at Fuji, where we weren’t the fastest in terms of lap times, but found the best compromise with the car. Our advantage was that we made hardly any mistakes. And when we did receive the odd penalty, it was early in the race, so we were able to catch up again during safety car periods. Another strength is our pace over long runs. That’s why qualifying is never easy for us, but we’re really good with the tyres over long runs.”

Toyota has not yet confirmed its drivers for 2027. “However, our planning is extremely long-term; we value consistency and nurture our team culture,” explains the 52-year-old. In principle, the only position still open is the successor to Mike Conway, who is ending his career at Monza after eleven seasons with the team (with two world championship titles and two Le Mans victories). Rumours suggest a driver on loan from Porsche named Kévin Estre.

Ryo Hirakawa’s strong performance as a Haas stand-in at the Mexican Grand Prix came as no surprise to Wurz: “Ryo has often been on a par with Haas’s regular drivers during tests with older F1 cars. Haas’s decision to go with Camara for 2027 is their choice. But Ryo was among the shortlist of candidates right up to the end. That says a lot about his abilities.”

Wurz will definitely continue as a consultant at Toyota, specifically “for the WEC and our drivers’ F1 tests at Haas with older cars. I’m there for every test. For me, that’s a good link to F1.”

And what’s next for the next generation? “Charlie will be racing in Super Formula and Super GT in Japan again in 2027, whilst Oscar will be competing in the Japanese F Regional and SF Lights. Commenting on this year – the first season for both his sons in the Far East – Wurz explains: “Given the circumstances, I’m satisfied, though in terms of results we’d have hoped for more. Charlie’s handicap was a rookie team, which always has disadvantages in an ‘engineers’ championship’. However, he scored more points than the experienced Kamui Kobayashi in a comparable team. Toyota are pleased with him and have extended his junior contract.” To stay in shape over the winter, Charlie Wurz will compete in the Asian Le Mans Series (which kicks off next weekend at Le Castellet) with APR in an LMP2 car. His father Alex says: “I see a future for him in professional racing, as a Toyota Development Driver with the prospect of a job here. We’ll see what opportunities arise.”