Conway: New Toyota Convinced Me to Stay One More Year

Mike Conway has revealed that Toyota’s updated Hypercar convinced him to stay in the FIA World Endurance Championship for one more season, as he opened up on his decision to retire as a professional driver at the end of the 2026 campaign.

The British driver revealed earlier this month that he will be stepping away from the Toyota squad that he has driven for full-time since 2015 as he calls time on a career that included two 24 Hours of Le Mans triumphs, back-to-back WEC drivers’ titles and four race wins in the NTT IndyCar Series, among other accolades.

Opening up on the decision in an interview with Sportscar365 ahead of this weekend’s 6 Hours of Barcelona, Conway said he made up his mind in “January or February” that the current season would be his last, having first considered retirement last year.

However, he admitted that the knowledge that the upgraded Toyota TR010 Hybrid would be making its debut meant that he should stay on one more season.

“I had thought about it before, but it was around January, February that I decided, ok, I’m pretty happy for this to be it at the end of the year,” he said.

“I first thought about it at the end of last year, but then we had a new car coming for this year, and I knew what it was going to be capable of. I knew it was going to be a good opportunity, and I knew the team were putting something together that was good.

“But still, at the same time, I was thinking, it was good time to wind things down and slow down the pace in life, and do the things that you miss out on over the years.

“I’m looking forward to spending more time at home and less travelling.”

Conway was linked to other brands, notably 2027 WEC newcomers McLaren and Ford, earlier in the year, but the 43-year-old said he never seriously considered joining an alternative team even if he did have approaches.

“I was at an age where to commit to another thing or another project for a few years, I wasn’t really going to do that,” he said.

“There were some light discussions, but I didn’t want to pursue anything, because I had already made my mind up. But it was quite funny reading all the rumors.

“People were asking me, ‘I hear you’re racing with Ford next year’, and then the McLaren one… I was like, yeah, that’s nothing to do with me!”

Likewise, a step down to the LMGT3 ranks with Toyota — as Jose Maria Lopez did at the end of 2023 — was not “on my radar”, according to Conway.

“I initially thought about it, but then I thought it’s not actually what I want to do,” he said. “I think unless it was a full Pro lineup, I know I would be frustrated.

“I’ve been there before with LMP2. I know that I would just started to get unmotivated, and not be enjoying it.

“I actually drove the new car [GR GT3] a couple of years ago, it’s a good car, so I’m excited to see them do well next year.”

Conway remains in title contention in what will be his farewell WEC season alongside his co-drivers in the No. 7 Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, with only this weekend’s Barcelona round and next month’s Monza finale to go.

He said that scoring his second Le Mans victory did not impact his desire to step down, rather saying it confirmed to him he was making the right decision.

“It made it super-sweet,” he said. “It was quite an emotional one, but it made me really think about savouring all the moments I could get. You try and soak up all those little moments that can easily get lost in just a whole swirl of Le Mans.

“And the outcome didn’t change my mind at all, which means it was the right feeling.

“We have still have two races to go, and I’m still pushing for every result possible, but it’s nice to have the news out there now, and it’s a bit more relaxing, actually. I can just focus on just the job in hand, instead of on other things.”