Toyota Reveals David on Radar for Hypercar Future
Photo: Julien Delfosse/DPPI
Toyota Racing technical director David Floury says Akkodis ASP Lexus FIA World Endurance Championship driver Hadrien David is on its radar for a future Hypercar seat as it begins to consider options beyond current prime candidate Esteban Masson.
The Japanese marque has yet to finalize its 2027 WEC driver plans amid the Haas Formula 1 team’s delay in naming a replacement for Esteban Ocon, as that decision will directly impact the futures of both Ryo Hirakawa and Masson.
If Hirakawa gets the nod for F1, Masson is highly likely to succeed him, while Kevin Estre is poised to replace the soon-to-retire Mike Conway next season regardless.
However, with current Akkodis ASP racer and European Le Mans Series champion Masson likely to step up no later than 2028 regardless, attention has already started to turn towards which driver could be groomed to follow in his footsteps.
Ben Barnicoat and Sacha Fenestraz both tested the previous-generation GR010 Hybrid in last year’s WEC rookie test in Bahrain, but the fact this test will not take place this year has denied Toyota a key chance to try out new prospects.
While Floury said Toyota did not get as far as deciding who would drive in the rookie test before it was called off along with the cancellation of the Qatar 1812km and 8 Hours of Bahrain, he namechecked Barnicoat and David when asked by Sportscar365 during last month’s Fuji round about who else was on the team’s radar besides Masson.
“Ben has tested already a few times with us, so he’s definitely someone we could consider,” said Floury. “After that, I would say that also we have Hadrien David.
“Coming from the [GR] Supra GT4 to the Lexus GT3, and driving for Akkodis, he is following the same path as Esteban, so he’s also someone we are interested in.
“At the moment, he still has some way to go, but he has been climbing the first steps of the ladder and he’s definitely someone we will follow closely.”
David stepped up to the WEC this season, becoming the designated FIA Silver-rated driver for the No. 78 Lexus RC F GT3, off the back of title success in the Michelin Le Mans Cup as well as race wins in the GT4 European Series driving for ASP.
Sharing a car with Jack Hawksworth, temporarily standing in for Masson, and Tom van Rompuy, he secured a second-place finish in class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the highlight of what has been an otherwise tough season for the team.
However, Floury was reluctant to draw comparisons between David’s 2026 campaign and Masson’s rookie season that led to his first Hypercar test in 2024.
“He’s doing well, but after that it’s difficult to compare because it’s two different seasons and the team has learned about the car a lot since then,” Floury said.
Toyota Confident About “Pipeline” of Japanese Junior Drivers
In the event that Masson replaces Hirakawa next year, it would leave Toyota without a Japanese driver in both of its cars for the first time since 2015.
Ritomo Miyata served as Toyota’s reserve driver in 2024, but has not taken part in any tests with the WEC program since early 2025, instead focusing on FIA Formula 2, and is not considered a short-term candidate for the team.
Floury made it clear that having a home-grown driver in each lineup is a strong preference but not an absolute requirement for Toyota.
“For sure, it’s important for us to have one Japanese driver on each car,” he said. “But it’s also important that we perform.
“We have some candidates, but not necessarily ready to step in at short notice.”
Toyota Racing vice-chairman Kazuki Nakajima meanwhile suggested that the marque has a “good pipeline” of Japanese drivers contesting European single-seater categories with the marque’s backing, not all of whom will be able to reach F1, such as Jin Nakamura (FIA Formula 3) and Yuki Sano (Formula Regional European Championship).
But he said that with 40-year-old Kamui Kobayashi still performing at a high level, there is no rush to work out who will be its next home-grown WEC star.
“If we speak about the really short-term, maybe there are not that many options straight away,” Nakajima told Sportscar365. “But at the same time I’m quite relaxed because I see Kamui with full motivation to perform and even improve himself.
“Of course, we should be prepared for the medium- and long-term, but I think there is already enough of a pipeline for the future, and all those young drivers who have challenged European formula races could be a good candidates as well.
“If they all become good F1 drivers, that would be even better, but at the same time it’s not an easy outcome to achieve, so I think we have a good plan for the future.”
Asked specifically on the prospect of bringing Miyata back into the WEC fold, Nakajima described it as “one of the possibilities” for the future.
“I think in the end it is down to what he wants to do, and also the circumstances around Toyota or maybe in general,” Nakajima said of Miyata.
“But he has already proved himself in endurance racing, including SUPER GT, so it’s definitely an option to consider.”
Source: Sports Car 365