Like Le Mans, stringing together a competitive WEC season requires the same ingredients; speed and reliability. While the Toyota TS030 Hybrid was quick in its first two seasons, its lack of reliability hurt the Japanese marque on several occasions.
In 2014, the brand new Toyota TS040 Hybrid proved to be the whole package and found itself fighting with Audi’s R18 e-tron quattro for both championships.
At the penultimate race of the season, in Bahrain, Wurz and his partners Kazuki Nakajima and Stephane Sarrazin took their only win of the season, helping Toyota maintain the gap ahead of Audi on constructors’ championship while their teammates Anthony Davidson and Sebastien Buemi took the drivers’ world title. Despite the delay, the season finale in Sao Paulo saw Toyota clinch its first sports car constructors’ world title with five victories in eight races.
Unfortunately it was not to be repeated in 2015 as their stunning 2014 effort had already pushed Toyota to the limit of its budget. As such the TS040 Hybrid failed to match the pace-setting Porsche 919 Hybrid or Audi R18 e-tron quattro.
"We have proven that it's not always the money that's winning," Wurz said. "We always had less resources than the competitors. Until last year, we really understood how to get the maximum out of it.
"To be the main driver in the development of this program, I'm very happy. It was a fulfilling job, but sometimes frustrating too. Losing the lead at Le Mans after 14 hours [in 2014] after being dominant …Losing some other victories with technical failures . . . But hey that's sport.
"That's why I love it. The highs and lows are so close together.”
At the end of the day, Wurz just loves racing; whether it be open wheelers or sports-cars, as exemplified by his endurance victories such as Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans.
“After 12 years as a race and third driver in F1, I was lucky to indulge a passion for Le Mans Prototype racing for a further 8 seasons” recalled Wurz. “That means I’ve enjoyed half of my lifetime competing at the top of motorsport and another quarter of it working my way up there, so I feel the time is right to call it a day and bring my career as a professional racing driver to a close.
“Endurance racing, especially Le Mans, has to be one of the harshest sports. I’ve lead most of the Le Mans 24h races I have raced in.”
However, the pain from last year’s Le Mans did not help the 41-year-old driver keep motivated. Realising he was not as committed to the sport as before, he took the decision to retire - just as he did eight years ago when he doubted his own commitment. This time however, he will no longer race in any category.
“In previous years, such a defeat made me come back stronger, ready to launch into the fight again, but not that time” Wurz explained. “This was the moment I knew that my time at the sharp end was coming to a natural end.”
While the 6 hours of Bahrain marked the end of his racing career, Wurz was too busy travelling around the world to take in the moment until he walked into Toyota’s team building in Sahkir.
“Before the race weekend I was busy and flat out with so many things to deal with” he admits. “I came here and for the first time I was really thinking about it when it hit me. It’s completely cool when I'm with my teammates or working on the car, I'm very relaxed about it. It's my decision. Obviously it's been in my head for a while.
"When I got quite emotional, which is not usual for me, was during the drivers' briefing when they all stood up and gave me applauds, and the team organising the surprise [photo shoot]. Then I'd have to say it was a bit emotional. Otherwise, I'm quite relaxed.”
When asked about his expectation on his last race on Friday, the Austrian was philosophical: ”Whatever it brings, I just want to enjoy it and finish maybe with a good result. But if that's a podium, I don't know. We will see. It doesn't change anything.
"My average, so far, in sports cars is 40 races with 10 victories. So that's 30 victories short of where I wanted to be! If it's 41 and 10 victories it doesn't matter."
Fittingly, Wurz stood on the podium once more after both Porsche and Audi met with technical issues. The result was also the second time Toyota finished in Top 3 in 2015.
“In my last race I got a bit fortunate with some technical issues for the others but we had a faultless day on our car and that brought us to third,” Wurz said after his last race of his career.
“We had a hard battle with the sister car which went down to the wire in the end. It was nerve-wracking to watch. I am very happy for the team, who got their reward for always working very hard.
“One thing I want to especially thank is the officials, the marshals, the stewards and all the people at the track – including the medical staff – because the volunteers
make this sport, without them there
would be no show; we wouldn’t be here. They give their lives up for us.
“Keep pushing! The WEC is a great championship, and I’m fully with you… You won’t get rid of me, and I’m sorry for that!”
We absolutely will see Wurz around as his passion on motorsport has yet faded and he just, in fact, is unwilling to give himself a more leisure life given so many roles he plays in the industry, such as the chairman of Grand Prix Drivers Association, drivers’ consultant at Williams, partner of FIA Road Safety campaign and FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy, the pundit for the Austrian broadcaster ORF’s coverage of F1, and consultant for track design - he participated in the re-design of Red Bull Ring.
In November, he very nearly became the new team principal of Manor F1 Team, but turned down the offer from Manor owner Stephen Fitzpatrick (who revived the team at the beginning of 2015) because he didn’t think it was the right time given the other projects he had on his plate.
“It’s not that I don’t think I am able to handle it. I believe I could run it well with proper ways, though, it’s a small team,” said the two-time Le Mans winner during the finale of WEC.
“But I don’t think it’s the right time. I already have other projects and I have another direction to focus on. ”
The lanky Austrian did not want to disclose his future plan at this stage. However, it is understood that Toyota wants their former ace to continue as a driver advisor in terms of the new car development, given Wurz followed the Japanese manufacture’s LMP1 programme since the very beginning.
Not long after the filing of this piece, Toyota announced Wurz would be taking on a new position as advisor and ambassador for the team; assisting with driver and team development as well as promoting TOYOTA’s hybrid LMP1 technology at the race track and beyond. Already during his time as a driver with the team, Alex has made a substantial contribution in each of these areas.
At the end of the day, Wurz will not walk away from motor racing; a sport which he has embraced for half of his life and will no doubt keep contributing to for a long time to come.