Conway looks to strike gold one more time in his final Hypercar race for Toyota

After Toyota claimed the Hypercar manufacturers’ world championship with a race to spare last month in Barcelona, this weekend’s rescheduled FIA World Endurance Championship finale in Monza will settle the drivers’ titles in both Hypercar and LMGT3, as well as the teams’ honours in the latter. 

Taking a closer look at the permutations, both categories need high drama for the current table leaders to leave Italy without a coronation. But that doesn’t mean that the title-deciding six hours is void of storylines or intrigue. Perhaps the most prominent angle concerns Mike Conway, who has the opportunity to bring the curtain down on his professional career in the most fitting way possible, by winning a third world drivers’ championship on his final start with Toyota Racing.

The 2026 title fight gives the 42-year-old Briton one last opportunity to add to a career that already includes two Le Mans 24 Hours victories and two WEC drivers’ titles. But with Conway’s No. 7 Toyota TR010 HYBRID crew facing a 17-point deficit to their No. 8 teammates heading into the weekend, the task is a considerable one.

There is, however, a compelling precedent. Only once in the history of the championship have the drivers’ standings flipped at the final race, back in 2020, when the No. 7 Toyota crew came from behind to beat the No. 8 to the title. Conway will be hoping history can repeat itself, with the opportunity to sign off on his career with another world championship.

The Toyota Racing driver confirmed his retirement before the penultimate round of the season, bringing to an end a career that has taken him from the heights of single-seater racing to the top of endurance competition. After making his name in British Formula 3 and IndyCar, Conway ultimately found his long-term home in sports car racing, where he has become one of the most successful and respected drivers of the modern WEC era over the past 13 seasons.

“It’s good to finally say out loud, honestly, because, yeah, I’ve been holding it in since the beginning of the year,” Conway says, reflecting on his retirement announcement. “I’m excited, honestly, for the next chapter in life, and racing has been a huge part of that.

“It’s just been my life since I was eight years old; a lot has changed over the years and different categories and racing all over the world, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve really enjoyed my time racing, and especially sports cars. That’s where I felt like I had a home, and Toyota has been such a great team to work with and a great manufacturer. It’s been special.

“It just felt like the right time, honestly. Even the last couple of years thinking about it, and then, it just felt like the right time to hang up the boots.”

Sharing the winning feeling at Le Mans this year was even sweeter than usual for Conway. James Moy Photography/Getty Images

The timing of Conway’s retirement announcement has taken on added significance following Toyota’s victory at Le Mans this year. That result provided another defining moment in a career already marked by success at the French endurance classic, while scoring enough points to keep Conway and his teammates in title contention heading into the finale. With the No. 8 Toyota winning at Barcelona, the deficit to the trio of Sébastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley grew to 17 points, with a maximum of just 26 points now available for a win and pole position at Monza. It leaves Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi needing a strong result while also requiring their rivals to surrender significant points to snatch the crown.

Crucially, Toyota team principal and driver Kobayashi confirmed after Barcelona that there would be no team orders in play this weekend when the two crews go head to head, so both line-ups will be free to pursue their own championship ambitions. But that won’t make the task any easier for the protagonists in the chasing No. 7 TR010.

“I would absolutely love to win it,” Conway says when asked about the prospect of ending his career with another championship. “I think even just winning Le Mans again was an awesome way to go out as well. But obviously that wasn’t planned. Things were decided before that, so yeah, a chance to win a title too has made it a bit more special.

“We’ll be pushing for that title, and it’s going to be pretty tense.”

For Conway, the prospect of a third championship would be an extraordinary conclusion to a career that might have ended very differently, as his route to the WEC’s highest level was far from straightforward. He won a Formula Renault title in 04, won the Macau Grand Prix in 2005 and clinched a British Formula 3 championship in 2006, before moving to GP2 and later the U.S. to pursue a career in IndyCar. There, he experienced both the rewards and the risks of open-wheel racing, winning four races but suffering a serious accident at the Indy 500 in 2010 that ultimately led him to stop competing on ovals and ultimately to step away from the discipline.

Conway experienced some of the highest of highs in IndyCar racing, such as winning the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2014, but also some of its lowest lows. Jonathan Moore/Getty Images

That experience became one of several challenges Conway had to overcome during his career. He also suffered injuries from two cycling accidents that forced him to miss races, including the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, but his appetite for track time ultimately carried him through those setbacks.

“It’s always tough to come back from those things, but when you just love racing so much, you kind of just get on with it,” he adds. “Unfortunately, there’s been a few injuries. But you don’t plan for these things. They happen, and you just have to get on with it. It’s just part of the history now.”

2012, the year of the WEC’s inaugural season, ultimately proved to be a sliding-door moment for his career. His single-seater career had been derailed by his incident at Indianapolis, leaving him at a point where he was considering leaving professional racing altogether. Conway even approached his father about finding a job outside racing.

But a conversation with his manager, former Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner, Mark Blundell, helped steer him toward sports cars and the possibility of a manufacturer-backed future.

“I was telling the story to the team,” he explains. “I don’t think they knew, like in 2012, when I stopped racing open-wheelers (full time) and wanted to quit and actually stop racing altogether,” he said. “We were kind of at a crossroads there. Was trying to figure out, you know, I asked my dad for a job if he had any, and he was like, ’Well, yeah, we kind of do, but I think cleaning and servicing trucks and stuff, I don’t think that’s really a future you should look at just yet.’

“I kind of gave sports cars a shot, you know, rolled the dice and really hoped that we’d get a deal with a manufacturer. That was just a one-year plan, and then it was going to be it. And luckily, you know, (after a season spent in LMP2 in 2013 with G-Drive Racing) it all kind of worked out.”

Blundell’s role in that transition was significant, providing support at a moment when Conway could easily have walked away from racing. The pair developed a close friendship alongside their professional relationship, with Blundell remaining a constant presence throughout the years that followed.

“He’s kept me mentally stable, I guess, a few times,” Conway says of Blundell. “He was definitely part of making sure I did stuff back then. He’s been great, he’s been a good friend and a very good family friend.”

The decision to pursue sports car racing proved transformative. Conway joined the WEC in 2013 and quickly became a central figure in Toyota’s endurance program after being plucked from the P2 ranks. A total team player, he’s helped the Japanese manufacturer navigate the championship’s evolution from the LMP1 era into the current Hypercar category, winning titles and the crown jewel race at Le Mans along the way.

Conway’s achievements span three different prototype classes, underscoring his ability to adapt as the regulations changed around him. His record also includes 20 overall WEC wins and 51 podiums, a tally surpassed by only a small number of his contemporaries. When he retires, Conway will have made 94 WEC appearances, placing him among the championship’s most experienced competitors. Only Toyota teammate Sébastien Buemi and WEC GT stalwart Richard Lietz have more.

Those numbers underline the longevity and consistency of Conway’s contribution to the championship, but his success has also been built through long-term partnerships with teammates, engineers and mechanics, and through his willingness to become part of the collective effort required to win the sport’s biggest races.

Conway’s skills and temperament have both been a big part of Toyota’s enduring status as a WEC powerhouse. James Moy Photography/Getty Images

Asked which WEC races he remembers most fondly, Conway naturally points to his Le Mans wins, especially this year’s, when he was able to soak in the experience more than he did when he won it the first time.

“Obviously the Le Mans victories, they’re always special,” he said. “I think this year, to savor those moments, I’ve definitely made the time to remember a lot of things and, you know, pause and take a moment when you can – which, in motorsport itself, is tough because you’re constantly just on the go.

“This year at Le Mans, it was particularly memorable because of the way the race played out,” he continues. “We almost went a lap down; we had a puncture, we had issues with the car, and we really thought it was car 8’s way. Credit to them, they drove a great race, but that safety car brought us back, and it put us back in the game. It was tense all the way to the end, even the last 10 minutes. We had to save a lot, and BMW were so quick.

“It was probably the longest last 30 laps I’ve ever watched. Normally it goes quickly enough, but every time I looked at the screen, the clock wasn’t moving. I was pacing around, and my brother, whom I hadn’t seen all week, and his mates all turned up, and they’d had a few drinks. I had to tell them to sit down and shut up, because I didn’t need them shouting!

“It was great though. I got to enjoy the moment. When you win the first one, it’s a whirlwind; everything’s new. This one I got to take it in. Me and Nyck (de Vries) actually stayed the longest at the track from the team, having beers. My brother stayed too, with his friends.

“But there’s been loads of fun moments, even races we didn’t win, where you just, I think, as a driver, you love being in that zone, and I think they’re the moments to really savor. But then, there have been many team efforts and results and teammates along the way that I’ve really enjoyed welcoming.”

That collective spirit has defined Conway’s career at Toyota. Endurance racing has given him the chance to build lasting relationships while competing at the highest level, and he expects to carry those experiences, as much as the trophies, into retirement.

But before that next chapter begins, there is one final piece of business. A third world championship would be a fitting reward for a driver who has helped define Toyota’s modern endurance racing identity, and who has been a central part of its success across multiple technical eras.

The numbers make the challenge clear. Conway and his No. 7 co-drivers must overcome a 17-point deficit against their teammates on the other side of the garage. There are no guarantees, but Toyota’s decision not to impose team orders at least means, in theory, the championship will be decided on the track.

Conway has already experienced the highs of winning Le Mans twice and becoming world champion twice. Now he has the opportunity to add one more major achievement to that record in his 94th and final WEC race. Whatever happens on Sunday afternoon, though, he will leave the WEC having helped define an era for Toyota and having established himself among the championship’s most accomplished drivers. From the uncertainty of his post-IndyCar crossroads to Le Mans wins and world titles with the world’s largest car manufacturer, his career will be looked back on fondly for a long, long time.