WEC: Buemi and Hartley reach five Hypercar titles, Toyota records

The WEC has a new trio of legends. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa, in the #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid, were crowned 2026 Hypercar world endurance champions after the Monza 6 Hours, by 18 points, in a season where the crew won three of the eight rounds. Motorsport.com and Autosport detail the records that come with the title.

Buemi and Hartley, five titles each

Buemi and Hartley now have five Hypercar/LMP1 titles each. Autosport calls them the most successful drivers in WEC history. For Hartley it is a third title with Toyota, after his Porsche titles in 2015 and 2017. Buemi joked that Hartley is the youngest five-time world champion ever: Hartley is 37, Buemi 38.

Buemi also holds the WEC record for overall race wins, with 29.

Hirakawa, a third title in five years

Ryo Hirakawa wins his third title in five years, a 60% strike rate according to Motorsport.com. It confirms the consistency of the #8 crew over the 2026 season.

Among the FIA multiple champions

With five titles, Buemi and Hartley join the list of drivers with five or more titles in FIA championships:

• Sébastien Loeb (WRC): 9 titles;
• Sébastien Ogier (WRC): 9 titles;
• Michael Schumacher (F1): 7 titles;
• Lewis Hamilton (F1): 7 titles;
• Juan Manuel Fangio (F1): 5 titles;
• José María López (WTCC and WEC): 5 titles.

The years of those titles show the scale of the feat: Loeb won his nine from 2004 to 2012, Schumacher his seven between 1994 and 2004, Fangio his five between 1951 and 1957. Buemi and Hartley add to that history with a 2026 title built on three wins in eight rounds, which made the #8 crew hard to beat over the length of the championship.

That record places the Toyota pair in a select group alongside rally and Formula 1 figures. The title completes a season dominated by Toyota in Hypercar.