Reigning endurance world champions Brendon Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa all but surrendered their title despite winning Sunday's Interlagos round.
Hartley believes that even after scoring maximum points within the Sao Paulo 6 Hours and moving from eighth to fifth within the championship, the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID will play what he describes as a “supporting role” to its Le Mans Hypercar sister automotive for the remainder of the season.
“We know the championship is a long shot and we thought about that before we came to Brazil,” said Hartley, who arrived in Brazil with Buemi and Hirakawa 38 points behind teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries.
“We thought we could be playing a reserve role here, but in the long run we won the race, although I don't think it will have made much difference.
“Car No. 7 is in a greater position within the championship and I’m sure we’ll support them within the upcoming races. I believe that will likely be our task for the remainder of the season.
“There is also the manufacturers’ championship to consider, which Toyota is very keen to win again, and we will have to play our part in that.”
#8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa
Photo: JEP / Motorsports images
Hartley noted that the championship-leading Porsche crew of Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre “scored a lot of points” in Brazil, which can make the return of the No. 8 Toyota drivers all of the tougher.
The New Zealander admitted that the No. 7 automotive was the quicker of the 2 Toyotas in Brazil and would have won the race had it not been for a fuel pressure problem early within the third hour that caused him to lose three minutes while a control unit was replaced on the side of the corner.
“We got the win, but the #7 was flying today – they went in a different direction with the set-up,” Hartley explained. “They were faster than us and had a lot less tire steps.”
Conway, who was returning to Toyota after missing last month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans through injury, built a cushty lead over Hartley within the opening laps and regained the lead after being handed a drive-through penalty for a full yellow flag infringement ahead of the second round of pit stops.
Hartley explained that the grip of the Michelin tyres “fell off dramatically” in the ultimate laps of his first double-header.
The No. 8 automotive took the lead when its sister Toyota struggled as Conway handed the result in de Vries, and controlled the remainder of the race, winning by over a minute.
De Vries and Kobayashi managed to maneuver as much as fourth place, allowing them to retain third place within the championship behind Porsche Penske Motorsport and Le Mans winners Ferrari drivers Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina.
Conway is seventh in the general standings as a consequence of missing Le Mans, where he broke his collarbone and two ribs in a cycling accident.
