Officially released on Thursday evening by race organizers, the Balance of Performance (BoP) for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans suggests, at least on paper, a fierce showdown between several Hypercar manufacturers. With Ferrari taking the last two victories at the endurance race, Toyota is looking to take advantage — all while approaching the BoP figures with caution, knowing full well they shouldn’t be over-interpreted.
While every team is careful with their words on the subject — as the regulations prohibit any attempt to "influence the establishment of the BoP" — Sébastien Buemi showed a hint of optimism during scrutineering on Saturday in downtown Le Mans.
“It’s hard to say, because you don’t really know what the others are doing — it’s kind of based on last year, so it’s tricky,” said the Swiss driver. “What’s certain is that it’s better than Spa. It’s hard to say, it looks similar to last year. The issue is that it’s always relative to the others.”
“It looks like a BoP that’s going to make everyone faster, so we can expect pole to be quicker than last year, especially since parts of the track have been resurfaced […] We should be looking at quicker lap times, but again, it’s all about how it compares to others. There are definitely huge deltas between Spa and here.”
What the four-time Le Mans winner doesn’t doubt is the intensity the race will deliver next week, and the importance of staying in the right pack to be in contention during the final hours.
“There’s going to be a lot of fighting,” he predicts. “Now, I don’t yet know what the weather will be like. We’ll have to be consistent, reliable, and perform when it really matters. As long as you don’t lose a lap early on, you don’t need to do everything perfectly until three laps from the end. That’s when everything — pit stops included — needs to be spot on.”
“It’s true that it’s a bit different now. Before, the race was won through consistency all the way. Now, you can have a rough patch and still come back — the Safety Cars will bring you back into play. And if you’re strong at the end, that’s what matters!” said Buemi.
Toyota heads into Le Mans week with a car and program it knows inside out. Optimizing its potential will be key, as Nyck de Vries — sharing the No. 7 with Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi — makes clear. “We need to maximize what we’ve got, that’s our job,” warns the Dutchman. “If seventh is the limit, then we need to finish seventh. And if we can win, we have to win.”
All of this unfolds as Toyota marks the 40th anniversary of its first entry at the 24 Hours of Le Mans — and pays tribute to the legendary GT-One of the late ‘90s with a special livery on the No. 7 car.
“It’s incredible — honestly, I think it’s gorgeous,” de Vries concludes. “I feel very privileged to be representing that car this weekend.”
