Toyota to give TS 050 maiden test this month

The definitive turbo-powered LMP1 car for 2016 will make its track debut next week after an initial run using an interim car last month during tests at Motorland Aragon and Paul Ricard.

The interim TS 050 ran alongside an existing TS 040 over three days, as the team made its initial running with the majority of its 2016 package.

Toyota has expedited its plans to run a turbo powerplant with a new battery energy-storage system to replace the former super-capacitor set-up. It remains unclear which aspects of the car will be added to the interim package next week to complete the full spec TS 050.

"What is not going to change is that fact that we're orientated towards KERS," Toyota's Pascal Vasselon told Motorsport.com.

"It doesn't change, but everything else changes - we're going from condensators to batteries. It's a big change.

"We manage to model those things, simulate them, then correlate the work we're doing when we run. We're going to do four tests, 30 hours of endurance, until Le Mans," he added.

Conway excited

Toyota driver Mike Conway told Motorsport.com last week how he much he is looking forward to forging a new partnership with Kamui Kobayashi, who replaces Alex Wurz in the team.

"I'm looking forward to the season ahead and working with Kamui," Conway told Motorsport.com. "He obviously has a good pedigree and he has already fitted in to the team well.

"The team has done a great job in getting everything ready and now we just have to get stuck in and learn as much as we can on the track."

Sebastien Buemi is looking forward to running in the new Toyota TS 050 HYBRID next week. The Swiss driver will undertake his fifth consecutive season with the Japanese manufacturer in 2016.

"We are yet to drive the full-spec specification, so it is too early to say too much," said the Swiss. "But we feel good in the team and the plan is to get back and fight with [Audi and Porsche]."

Additional reporting by Basile Davoine