All reports I've read over the last two years have had Toyota running a noticeably smaller budget than Audi. Even if the overall budget is now on par with Audi and Porsche (which I doubt), TMC is still being far more restrained than their German rivals, as a large portion of the Toyota LMP budget comes from Total, Denso and possibly even TMG's own pockets.
Actually, I think there was little to choose between the race pace of the Toyota and Audi this year. However, the #8 lost the least amount of time from reliability issues of any LMP1-H in the race (ignoring the early exiting #3). Seeing as how the car was both fast and reliable (as the #8 was), I feel this was another lost chance for Toyota. It just isn't happening for them at Le Mans. Whether the suits will be encouraged or discouraged by this half-full/half-empty display remains to be seen.
The current R18 e-tron is a brand new car for this year, even though it shares its name with its predecessor. Unless it severely under-performs, it won't be replaced until the next major rule change (which is expected for 2017).
Last edited: Jun 16, 2014