Yesterday until 5:00pm, both Toyota TS050 HYBRIDS were running effectively un-restricted, without respecting the boost or fuel management as per their EoT (Equivalence of Technology). All of the overnight running, and running today, has been to the specification we expect the cars to be in at Spa-Francorchamps next month.

This means, that balance between the two Hybrids, and the non-Hybrid cars here, is very much closer than the timing screens here show. It will be very telling, when we get to racing conditions.

The reasoning behind that running, given by Toyota to DSC, is that the team is testing a new cooling system to extreme levels. That testing is understood to have been very successful.

As it stands, the team’s best time was set by Mike Conway yesterday, a 1:32.662 in the high-downforce #8 TS050, 1.9 seconds faster than the #7 running its low-drag set up, and 4.3 faster than the quickest LMP1 privateer runner, the #11 SMP Racing BR1 AER.

DSC has looked at the times, the fastest lap set by a Toyota since 5pm yesterday a 1:38.142 by the #7 TS050 HYBRID, on its 436th lap. Toyota’s technical director Pascal Vasselon has also confirmed this.

That puts the #7 fifth in the times set since, behind the #11 SMP Racing BR1, the #1 Rebellion Racing R-13, #17 SMP BR1 and #4 ByKolles CLM.