MIKE CONWAY TO RETIRE FROM FULL-TIME RACING AT THE END OF 2026
Mike Conway has announced that he will retire from full-time professional racing at the end of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The 43-year-old Briton will complete his final two races with Toyota in Barcelona and Monza, bringing an end to a successful career with the Japanese manufacturer that began in 2014. His final appearance will be the 6 Hours of Monza on November 8.
“It’s been an incredible journey, and one that I couldn’t have imagined,” Conway said as he confirmed his decision. He explained that winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a second time in 2026 helped him decide that it was the right moment to step away from full-time competition and spend more time with his family.
Conway leaves endurance racing with an impressive record. He has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 2021 and 2026, and secured two WEC Drivers’ World Championships, in the 2019-2020 season and in 2021. He has also recorded 20 WEC race victories and 51 podium finishes in 92 starts, making him one of the most successful British drivers in the championship’s history.
His second Le Mans victory came in June 2026, when he shared the No. 7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid with Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries. The trio completed 381 laps to secure the overall victory, finishing just 11 seconds ahead of the second-placed BMW. The result gave Conway and Kobayashi their second Le Mans wins, while de Vries celebrated his first.
Conway has been a key part of Toyota’s endurance racing programme since joining the team in 2014. During that period, he helped the manufacturer win seven World Manufacturers’ Championships and became an important member of its top-class prototype line-up. His first major WEC victory with Toyota came in Bahrain in 2014, before he went on to win titles in both the LMP1 and Hypercar eras.
Before moving to endurance racing, Conway built his career in single-seaters. He won the Formula Renault UK championship and the British Formula 3 title before taking victory at the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. He also tested Formula 1 machinery for Honda in 2007 and 2008, but never made a Grand Prix start.
Conway then moved to the United States and competed in IndyCar, where he won four races. His victories included two at Long Beach, as well as wins in Detroit and Toronto. In 2013, he began racing in the WEC with G-Drive Racing in the LMP2 category, winning four races in his first season before earning a place in Toyota’s programme.
Although he is preparing to leave full-time racing, Conway still has a chance to finish his career with another championship. Alongside Kobayashi and de Vries, he currently sits second in the 2026 Drivers’ standings, just 10 points behind Toyota’s sister No. 8 car shared by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa. Two rounds remain, giving the No. 7 crew an opportunity to fight for the title before Conway’s final race.
Toyota team principal and team-mate Kamui Kobayashi praised Conway’s speed, consistency and contribution to the team, describing him as an important friend as well as a racing partner. The announcement also means Toyota will need to make a change to its No. 7 driver line-up for 2027.
After more than 20 years in professional motorsport, Conway will leave full-time competition with two Le Mans victories, two world titles and a record of success across several different racing categories. His final two races will offer one last opportunity to add to that record before he steps away from the championship at the end of the season.
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