Team extend FIA World Endurance Championship lead with second successive one-two finish in Shanghai
Toyota Racing delivered another perfect result in Shanghai on Sunday, with a second successive one-two finish that extends the team’s lead in the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Anthony Davidson and Sébastien Buemi followed up their win in Fuji two weeks ago to post their fourth victory of the season in the No8 car, taking their shared lead in the drivers’ title chase to 42 points.
The 1,000hp four-wheel drive Toyota TS040 Hybrid was again in a class of its own, with Alex Wurz, Stéphane Sarrazin and Kazuki Nakajima securing second place in the No7 machine. The result gives Toyota a 29-point advantage in the manufacturers’ world championship with two races remaining.
The six-hour race proved a trouble-free contest for both cars, with smooth pit stops contributing to the impressive result. By the time Buemi and Davidson made their final driver change, they held a one-lap lead over the entire field, apart from their second-placed team-mates. Davidson and Nakajima were able to bring the cars home for the team’s third one-two finish of the season.
Reflecting on the team’s success, Davidson said: “The whole team did a great job with the right strategy and solid pit stops. Everyone kept calm and focused on getting the result. We showed we had the fastest car in Fuji and we’ve done that again here in Shanghai. We didn’t want to take too many risks, particularly in traffic so it was a relatively quiet race for me; Seb did all the spectacular work at the start. To get such a result at this stage of the season is huge for us and now we aim to continue like this in the final two races.”
The battle for the World Championship will continue in Bahrain on 15 November, with the season finale in Sao Paulo on 30 November.
