For Brendon Hartley, the conquest of a fifth career crown in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Monza last weekend (6-8 November) not only cemented his status in the pantheon of sporting greats in the long-distance discipline – it also helped to exorcise a personal demon...
Just under five months earlier, Hartley along with team-mates Sébastien Buemi and Ryō Hirakawa had been firmly in the mix for honours in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – what would have constituted a fourth outright success for the New Zealander in the twice-round-the-clock La Sarthe contest.
Ultimately, it was not to be, as the #8 TOYOTA RACING trio ended up third in FIA WEC’s flagship event – barely 20 seconds shy of victory, which instead went the way of the #7 TR010 Hybrid. After lifting the Drivers’ trophy in Italy five days ago, Hartley admitted the result was redemptive.
“There were real mixed emotions after Le Mans, especially for me,” the 37-year-old candidly reflected. “When you have a chance to win that race and it slips through your fingers, it’s hard to take.
“I think we all took it bad, but I took it a bit personally, because during a stint when I was in the car, I took a bit longer to get by the Cadillac, which allowed the sister car to jump us at the next pit sequence, so I took responsibility for that. Even if for a big part of the race we were dominant, it slipped away...”
Spurred on by that disappointment, two wins over the second half of the campaign – to add to the crew’s curtain-raising success at Imola back in April – catapulted Hartley, Buemi and Hirakawa swiftly to the summit of the world championship standings, and they duly entered the Monza finale in possession of a 17-point advantage over their stablemates.
With neither Toyota capable of challenging at the front around the legendary ‘Temple of Speed’, a tenth-place finish for the #8 – one spot ahead of the #7 – was more than enough to seal the deal, as the Japanese automotive giant comprehensively re-established itself as the series’ Hypercar benchmark by securing both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ spoils following a comparatively fallow year in 2025.
“I know how much work every individual has put in to improve,” Hartley mused. “Against such tough competition, everyone has had to step it up and find performance in every area, including us drivers. After all of the effort that went into the TR010 HYBRID, we knew this season represented an opportunity.
“I’m really proud of how the three of us fought back over the second half of the season, because we were really strong. At Monza, we just had to beat the sister car, and we covered them the whole time. It was an incredible feeling to finish as world champions, and that brings confidence going into next year...”
All of FIA WEC. All of endurance racing’s greatest battles. Watch live and on demand with FIAWEC+ – the official streaming platform of the FIA World Endurance Championship, wherever you are, whenever you want, including the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Stream FIA WEC live with FIAWEC+.
