Toyota adds Lapierre, Kunimoto to TS050 line-up

Toyota Gazoo Racing has confirmed that Yuji Kunimoto and Nicolas Lapierre will complete the line-up in its third LMP1 TS050 Hybrid for the FIA WEC round at Spa Francorchamps and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Frenchman Lapierre returns to the Japanese team after racing in its LMP1 programme as recently as 2014 before switching to racing in LMP2 with Signatech Alpine, winning the title last year and the class at Le Mans. Lapierre will drive for Alpine for the other remaining rounds of the WEC, with ex-Porsche LMP1 racer Romain Dumas stepping in for him in his two races in LMP1.

"It's great to be back with Toyota and I would like to thank the team for this opportunity," said Lapierre (pictured). "I'm really looking forward to racing an LMP1 car again because the cars have developed a lot since I drove the TS040 Hybrid in 2014. The Spa race is coming around very quickly so I am fully focused on preparing myself for the new season. I have stood on the podium before at Le Mans with Toyota so my target is clearly to do that again this year."

Kunimoto, meanwhile, moves over to the FIA WEC program from sister brand Lexus' Super GT GT500 team after competing in the series for eight years. He also won the Super Formula championship in 2016.

"This is really a dream for me," he said. "I never imagined that one day I could race for a team like Toyota at Le Mans so I am determined to make the most of this opportunity. I enjoyed my first tests with the TS050 Hybrid, which is a really impressive car. LMP1 and endurance racing in Europe are new to me so I am working hard to learn as much as I can from the team; I am sure I will learn a lot from Stéphane and Nicolas, who are both very experienced and quick."

Today's announcement completes the full Toyota's driver roster for the season, its first featuring a third LMP1 car. The No. 7 car will be driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, while Sebastien Buemi, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima will compete in the No. 8. The newly confirmed drivers will race a TS050 sporting No. 9.

The team's new car is set to be revealed on Friday at Monza ahead of the FIA WEC's Prologue pre-season test this weekend.