Toyota confirms WEC LMP1 return for 2019-20 season

Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed it will continue to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship's LMP1 class through the 2019-🧜20 season.

Following the departure of fellow LMP1 manufacturers Audi and Porܫsche ✱in 2016 and 2017 respectively, Toyota was left as the sole non-privateer team in the WEC's premier class, but continued to race against a raft of new entrants to the category.

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Toyota commits to 2019-20 WEC season

Toyota Gazoo Racing has conꦍfirmed it will continue to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship's LMP1 class through the 2019-20 season.

Following ෴the departure of fellow LMP1 manufacturers Audi and Porscheও in 2016 and 2017 respectively, Toyota was left as the sole non-privateer team in the WEC's premier class, but continued to race against a raft of new entrants to the category.

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Toyota claimed its maiden 24 Hours of Le Mans win in June, and has won fo⭕ur out of five rounds of the current WEC season that will end at L🍎e Mans this year.

Having widely been expected to continue its commitment to the WEC in the final year of the LMP1 class in it🐬s current form, Toyota issued a statement on Thursday confirming it would be returning to the championship for the 2019-20 campaign.

"TOYOTA GAZOO Racing will c🐎ompete🐎 in the 2019-2020 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, it was confirmed today," the statement reads.

"The team will enter two of its hybrid-powered TS050 HYBRID race cars into all eight rounds, beginning on 1 September 2019 with the 4 Hours of Silverstone and concluding with the L✤e Mans 24 Hours on 13-14 June 2020.

"The dr🦋iver line-up for🍒 the 2019-2020 season will be announced at a later date.

"TOY💃OTA GAZOO Racing is currently leading both the drivers’ and teams’ World Championships following five of eight rounds in the 2018-2019 WEC♊ season. It aims to extend that advantage in the next round, the 1000 Miles of Sebring on 15 March."

2019-20 will be the final year of the LMP1 regulations before they are replaced b♊y new a hypercar-led technical rul♕e base for 2020-21.

Toyota commits to 2019-20 WEC season

ALONSO QUESTION MARK

The main question mark han🔴ging over 🍸Toyota's line-up for next season is whether two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will continue to race in its LMP1 line-up.

Alonso joined Toyota at the start of the 2018-19 WEC season as part of his bid to win Le Mans, aiding his pursuit of th𓃲e triple crown of motorsport. He led the team to victory alongsid♐e Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi at the race last June.

While Alonso﷽ is committed to race for Toyota at the final three rounds of the current campaign, much of his attention has now turned to the Indianapolis 500, the final missing෴ leg from his current triple crown aspirations.

The Spaniard said last month at Daytona that he was "50-5🔥0" over continuing with Toyota, and that he wജould make a decision following the conclusi♏on of the current WEC season in June.

Besides Alonso, Nakajima and Buemi, Toyota runsﷺ a second car comprising Jose Maria Lopez, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi.

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