WEC News: Title fights set to scale new heights as Fuji marks milestone race

The ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ is one of just five countries to have hosted ten or more races since the series’ inception, with Fuji featuring on the schedule in FIA WEC’s inaugural season back in 2012.

Spectacularly located in the foothills of Mount Fuji—the landmark from which it takes its name—the Fuji Speedway was originally conceived as a fully-banked superspeedway before being converted into a road course that brought Formula 1 to Asia for the first time in 1976.

Despite being the second-shortest lap on the FIA WEC calendar at 4.563 km, the circuit’s 1.475 km main straight is one of the longest in the sport, enabling drivers to fully exploit the potential of their cars and hit top speeds in excess of 330km/h.

Home heroes aiming to open 2025 account 

Toyota—owner of the venue since 2000—has won nine of the 11 contests held there to-date, to the delight of the tens of thousands of passionate home fans who regularly turn out in support. That strike rate equates to almost 20 percent of the brand’s overall victories.

However, the Japanese marque—the reigning Manufacturers’ world champion – has endured a disappointing title defense this year, and arrives aiming to quash its joint-longest streak of six races without finishing on the podium. No driver has prevailed in the 6 Hours of Fuji more often than four-time winner Sébastien Buemi, with the Swiss star aiming to add a fifth triumph to that tally behind the wheel of the #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR010 Hybrid.

Toyota has gone unbeaten in the Manufacturers’ battle for the past six seasons, but in 2025, Ferrari looks set to usurp the world championship trophy—and it could do so as soon as this weekend. To achieve that, the Prancing Horse will need to see off the challenge of a resurgent Porsche, after Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell claimed the German carmaker’s maiden victory of the campaign in Texas earlier this month.

Prior to that, the last time the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport crew had ascended the highest step was at Fuji 12 months ago—a result that catapulted Estre, Vanthoor and André Lotterer to the cusp of the world championship crown. The Frenchman and Belgian return to their regular two-driver line-up this weekend, and if they can replicate their Japanese result from last year, they might just delay Ferrari’s coronation.

Multiple marques in the mix 

In the quest for Drivers’ title glory in the headlining Hypercar class this year, it is very much a case of Ferrari vs. Ferrari, with just 15 points separating the #51 Ferrari AF Corse factory entry from the privately-run #83 AF Corse 499P. Notably, the forthcoming bout will mark Antonio Giovinazzi’s 25th start in the series – the Italian having made his FIA WEC debut at Fuji back in 2016—while stablemates James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi are both two-time GTE Pro category winners at the track.

Based on recent form, though, the battle for victory this weekend seems likely to be disputed between more than just Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota. Cadillac secured its first pole position in the championship in Japan last season, and has since gone on to add two more poles to that tally as well as a brilliant breakthrough triumph courtesy of a dominant display in Brazil.

Fuji was the scene of BMW’s maiden podium finish in the top-tier in 2024, with the Bavarian brand flanked on the rostrum by Alpine, who had similarly shone there with the A424’s predecessor, the A480. Fellow French manufacturer Peugeot celebrated its best joint result in the Hypercar era last time out in Austin, in a race in which Aston Martin’s Valkyrie produced its most competitive showing yet. Both will be bidding to maintain that upward momentum this weekend.

Five Alive at Fuji?

The situation in LMGT3 is similarly unpredictable. The last four victories in 2025 have been split evenly between four marques – Ferrari, Porsche, Lexus and McLaren. No single GT class has ever seen five different brands prevail in a row.

Twelve months ago in Japan, the #54 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari emerged on top from ninth on the grid – the third-lowest starting position to be converted into a win in the category. Having been denied the honors in the most recent round at COTA due to a post-race penalty, the Italian outfit will be fired-up to quickly bounce back. Ferrari and Aston Martin share the record for the most GT successes at Fuji, while Manthey will be aiming to repeat its championship-clinching performance from last year with its Porsche 911.

Home hopes, finally, will rest very much upon the shoulders of Yokohama-born Marino Sato, who arrives off the back of his maiden FIA WEC triumph with United Autosports in Texas. The 26-year-old also posted the fastest LMGT3 lap registered thus far at Fuji, during FP1 last season.

100 Not Out 

The 6 Hours of Fuji will mark the 100th race in FIA World Endurance Championship history, with four of the drivers who contested the inaugural event at Sebring in 2012 similarly set to do battle this weekend, in the shape of Loïc Duval, Frédéric Makowiecki and Neel Jani in the Hypercar class, and LMGT3 leader, Richard Lietz.

That means that in addition to crucial championship points, there is plenty of pride at stake in Japan, as protagonists fight to inscribe their names in the FIA WEC record books.

The on-track sessions will begin with free practice on Friday, 26 September. Qualifying—and the all-important Hyperpole top ten shootout—starts at 14:20 local time (07:20 CEST) on Saturday, 27 September, with the race getting underway at 11:00 local time (04:00 CEST) on Sunday, 28 September.