Toyota wary of BMW edge ahead of Barcelona WEC debut

Toyota believes BMW could hold an early advantage when the World Endurance Championship visits Barcelona for the first time, after BMW and other manufacturers tested at the venue ahead of the race.

The calendar now concludes with two six-hour European races after the planned rounds in Qatar and Bahrain were cancelled because of the war in West Asia. Monza, which returns as the finale on 8 November, is better known to the teams; Barcelona is the penultimate round and a fresh challenge. The title contest between Toyota and BMW has been closely fought, as our WEC title fight report has tracked.

Toyota says a Barcelona test was out of reach

Toyota technical director David Floury said the team could not arrange a Barcelona test because its logistics were already committed to Brazil ahead of Fuji. Toyota will instead prepare on the simulator and make the most of free practice to build its understanding of the circuit.

Floury expects BMW to have a performance edge as a result of its running there. Toyota driver Nyck de Vries also acknowledged that the lack of circuit-specific testing was not ideal, particularly when several rivals had been able to run at Barcelona and Monza.

Toyota’s preparation gap comes after a season in which the two manufacturers have traded major results. BMW won the São Paulo finale, while Toyota’s victory at Le Mans underscored the stakes in their rivalry; both outcomes feature in our reports on BMW’s São Paulo win and Toyota’s Le Mans victory.

BMW expects close competition despite its track time

BMW motorsport boss Andreas Roos said the test gave his team a useful reference, but he expects the field to remain tightly matched. He noted that other teams also tested at the circuit and that manufacturers have experience there with Hypercar or GT3 machinery, even if the class has limited Barcelona running.

Factory driver Sheldon van der Linde, who took part in the initial rollout and the later one-day test, said the team had assessed the car’s strengths and weaknesses at the high-downforce venue. BMW believes that preparation has given it practical tools for the race weekend, but Toyota will aim to close the gap once practice begins.