WEC Monza: Toyota title fight and weather dominate Friday

Kamui Kobayashi has reaffirmed that Toyota’s two crews will be free to fight for the World Endurance Championship drivers’ title at the 2026 6 Hours of Monza, with avoiding contact the condition attached to that freedom.

Speaking at Friday’s press conference, attended by Formula Live Pulse, Toyota’s team principal and #7 driver confirmed that the title rivals would continue sharing technical information despite their championship contest.

The #8 crew of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa arrives with a 17-point advantage over Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries. Toyota has already secured the manufacturers’ crown, leaving the drivers’ championship to be settled in Sunday’s finale.

Cold, damp conditions and a resurfaced circuit added another concern across the panel: teams could have to discover their cars’ dry-weather behaviour during the race itself.

Toyota keeps the title fight open

Kobayashi said there would be no orders from the team beyond ensuring the two cars did not collide. Set-up information and experience would still be shared as usual, with each crew then trying to deliver its own best result.

He acknowledged that the #8’s points advantage was substantial, while describing Monza’s changed asphalt as a challenge for both sides of the garage.

The weekend also marks Conway’s final professional race, giving the #7’s pursuit of the title a personal dimension.

Kobayashi paid tribute to his long-time team-mate’s calmness, resilience and standing within Toyota. His appreciation went beyond their results together: Conway’s ability to remain approachable and work through difficult periods had earned respect throughout the team.

“So I’m very proud to be the teammate, for 75 races, together anyway,” Kobayashi said.

Fuoco warns dry running may come too late

Ferrari’s Antonio Fuoco said the combination of low temperatures and new asphalt was making it difficult for the track to dry, leaving the #50 crew preparing for potentially different conditions in qualifying and the race.

He expected qualifying could remain damp, while the outlook discussed at the conference pointed towards a dry Sunday. That was a forecast, rather than a guarantee, but it raised the prospect of starting the six-hour contest without meaningful dry preparation.

“We will discover for the first time dry track just on the race,” Fuoco said.

He also described poor visibility through the spray during Monza’s wet opening practice session. Reflecting on his excursion at the final corner, he said he had run wide but that everything had been fine afterwards.

For Ferrari, the immediate task was to remain calm and secure a strong starting position before adapting to whatever Sunday brings.

Bourdais faces the same preparation problem

Sébastien Bourdais echoed Fuoco’s concern from the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.

He said drivers might first encounter dry conditions on race day, forcing them to adapt to a car whose set-up they had not been able to perfect. Experience would help, but could not replace track time.

Bourdais suggested that teams with previous testing at Monza might benefit, while stressing that his own approach remained to extract the best performance available.

He also identified the event as his last race with Cadillac and JOTA. The aim was to finish strongly and leave nothing unused in pursuit of the best possible result, rather than let the farewell alter his approach.

Edgar relies on consistency as Pera chases

In LMGT3, Jonny Edgar reflected on the consistency that has put him at the head of the drivers’ standings, with the #33 TF Sport Corvette holding an 18-point advantage over the #92 The Bend Manthey Porsche in the teams’ contest.

Winning Le Mans had been the season’s standout moment, both personally and for its championship value. Since then, Edgar said the priority had been to keep collecting points in a field where the competitive order could change sharply between rounds.

He confirmed that his 2027 plans were settled but not ready to be announced. He also said his move from Silver to Gold driver status would bring a different role next season.

Riccardo Pera, representing the chasing #92 Porsche, said victory in Barcelona had delivered the momentum his crew needed. He recognised the size of the remaining gap and praised the Corvette’s season, but insisted Manthey was prepared to use every opportunity.

For Pera, racing in front of family, friends and Italian supporters added to the occasion.

Quinn builds on his Peugeot breakthrough

Alex Quinn described his first Peugeot race weekend in Barcelona as a positive step, saying the team had helped him settle quickly into the #93 9X8.

His early promotion into Peugeot’s race line-up has given him two events to build experience before 2027.

Quinn credited simulator preparation with easing the transition. Although he had raced at Monza earlier in his career, the changed surface and kerbs made that preparation useful again.

The six-hour finale starts at 11:00 CET on Sunday 8 November. Before then, the remaining practice and qualifying sessions will determine how much of Friday’s uncertainty teams can resolve before the titles are decided.