Official: 2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1

The 2015 Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1 racer has been revealed ahead of the World Endurance Championship starting on April 12.
Powering the new Toyota TS040 Hybrid LMP1 is the same Toyota 3.7-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine joined with a potent electric motor. The powertrain delivers in excess of 986 hp and unlike the recently revealed 2015 919 Hybrid from Porsche, the Toyota TS040 falls into the 6 megajoule category rather than the 8 megajoule category.

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Two different variants of the Toyota TS040 LMP1 are being produced. One will be dedicated to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the high-speed straights of the La Sarthe circuit while the other will be used for the other races throughout the season. This second setup is dubbed the sprint package and provides higher levels of downforce.
Driving the #1 Toyota TS040 Hybrid throughout the season will be Anthony Davidson, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima. The second car will then be piloted by Alex Wurz, Stephane Sarrazin and Mike Conway. Kamui Kobayashi will act as the test and reserve driver.

Discussing the car, Toyota’s Hisatake Murata said “We have put huge effort into upgrading the whole car, including the powertrain, where we have made improvements in most areas. This means that total maximum power is over 1,000PS and the performance of the powertrain has been considerably enhanced. Our development means we will achieve the maximum hybrid energy more consistently than last season.
“Therefore we fully expect to see a performance improvement from the hybrid system, especially over race distances, and at every circuit. Our 2015 upgrades are another step towards producing ever-better hybrid cars and, once again, components and techniques from the TS040 Hybrid will be utilised to improve Toyota road cars,” Murata said.