Toyota’s qualifying day at Imola was less about fireworks and more about proof of concept, which is exactly why it’s interesting.
While all the headlines go to Ferrari’s pole and Ryō Hirakawa’s front‑row lap in the #8, the other side of the Toyota garage tells the real story of where this TR010 project is heading. Hirakawa missed Hyperpole by just 0.011s, but Nyck de Vries quietly dragged the #7 car to sixth on the grid, only a touch over three tenths away from Giovinazzi’s pole time in a field where the top ten is covered by fractions.
That gap matters in context. Toyota arrived with an all‑new aero package, fresh Michelin rubber to understand and the added distraction of its 100th hybrid WEC start. De Vries has spent the week talking about “following our own programme” and using the Prologue and free practice to explore set‑up and tyre behaviour rather than chase headlines. Qualifying suggests that approach is paying off: the #7 has turned a low‑key Prologue into a car that is solidly in the fight, with clear room to move forwards over six hours…
