Key takeaways from WEC’s 6 Hours of Fuji

Written by Sharifah Zaqreeztrina, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Credit: Alpine

Alpine’s first win in two years as a hypercar entry came courtesy of an action-packed penultimate round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC).  Here are the key takeaways that define the unforgettable thriller. 

The A424 can strive for victories with the right strategy

The No.35 car finally has its first taste of the podium this season, after sister car the No.36 secured two third-place finishes consecutively in Imola and Spa.  

This also marked their second time on the rostrum in Fuji, after finishing third in last season’s outing around the Japanese venue.  

Having started from ninth and subsequently dropped down the order after being penalised for contact and a pit-stop infringement, the second half of the race saw the No.35 crew seizing the opportunity from the timing of a safety car intervention.

With the final hour ticking, Alpine struck gold with their tyre strategy, when the top teams made their way to their final pit stops. Les Bleus decided to shorten their pitstop by replacing only the left tyres on the No.35 car, whereas early leaders No.93 Peugeot and No.6 Porsche did a full set. 

That allowed Charles Milesi to inherit the lead, crossing the finish line first with nearly eight seconds ahead of Mikkel Jensen in the No.93 Peugeot. 

Their maiden win of the season lifted Alpine up above BMW to fifth place in the Manufacturer’s Championship standings. 

Well-timed pitstops seem to be their key ingredient for success. This was also seen in Spa, where their final refuelling pitstop resulted in the No.36 car securing their first podium of the 2025 season with eight minutes remaining. 

By consistently getting the right strategy, the French marque may have the potential to compete for more podiums and wins. 

Toyota might potentially face their first podium-less season

Credit: Toyota Gazoo Racing

There was no home victory, much less a podium in front of their home crowd to save Toyota from a disappointing 2025 campaign. 

Qualifying 14th on the road, the No.7 fiercely charged up through the field. They were found leading the grid in the middle stages of the race, thanks to Nyck de Vries’ strong stint after a Virtual Safety Car was triggered. While the timing of the third safety car brought Alpine their victory, it was unfortunately not in Toyota’s favour. 

Sébastien Buemi pitted under Full Course Yellow (FCY) due to the tyre puncture that resulted in a collision with the No.35 Alpine. Already losing positions, a three-minute stop-and-go penalty for an infringement further damaged their race. 

This race weekend seemed to bring more evidence of the claims of the recent poor raceability of the GR010, also weakened by Balance of Performance (BoP),  which the team has been consistently vocal about throughout this season. 

Knowing their fourth place in Spa was their best result as of late, they will not give up their fight for the podium. Otherwise, if misfortune continues in Bahrain, 2025 will mark Toyota’s first-ever podium-less season.

Ferrari caught in a late twist to the championship fight

Credit: Ferrari

For a team that dominated the first half of the season, Ferrari’s sudden decline in performance is another interesting storyline to look into. 

The 499P rarely performs well in tracks with low speed corners, such as São Paolo and Fuji. This Japanese track even produced their second worst results last year after Bahrain, with ninth, 12th and a DNF. This year's edition seemed to be no different.

Despite starting from third and eighth, their collision with the No.007 Aston Martin in the early stages, with attempts to maximise the car’s potential there ended up triggering a penalty-filled run: a drive-through and five-second penalty for the No.50, plus two drive-throughs and 30-minute stop-and-go penalties for the No.51.

The Italian marque walked away from the weekend with only one point to their name.

Although they experienced their worst race of the season, Ferrari’s first Manufacturer’s Championship title is still within their reach. 

But as the increasingly competitive field led by Porsche catches up, it might be more difficult to defend their lead in the championship much longer for the next season. 

Aston Martin unleashed its strongest form yet

Credit: FIA WEC/ DPPI

Another surprise result that came from Japan was Aston Martin’s fifth place finish. It's their best thus far this season.

Frequently finishing outside the top ten out of the 18-strong Hypercar pack, including a double DNF in COTA, those statistics did not reflect well for their debut campaign. 

No.009 drivers Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas have been in competitive displays throughout the season, even climbing up to top three spots midway before eventually being plagued by being unable to catch up with faster rivals, difficulties with adjusting to BoP and mechanical issues (as was the case in Qatar and Austin).

But this round brought a sigh of relief to the No.009 crew and fans. 

Equipped with a favourable BoP, their third place result in qualifying already put them off to a strong start for race day. A drive-through penalty midway through the race and a delay in the final pitstop may have prevented them from a potential maiden podium. 

However, the No.009 crew brilliantly cruised through the six-hour drama-filled with penalties and FCYs to finish in sixth. They were then promoted to fifth after taking post-race penalties for the other cars into account.

After Le Mans, this was their second points finish for the British outfit. Improving the reliability of the Aston Martin Valkyrie can help it contend for higher spots in the future. 

The 100th WEC race delivered just what the fans needed

Credit: Stellantis Media

While it was held in a less ideal time zone for the American and European viewers, the series’ centennial event was certainly one worth staying up for. 

Five Full Course Yellows, three safety cars and one surprise winner, the 6 Hours of Fuji had a bit of everything. 

That particular surprise winner now joins the list of four different manufacturers to have won four different races in succession for the first time in the history of the WEC: Ferrari in Le Mans, Cadillac in São Paolo, Porsche at COTA and Alpine in Fuji. 

Meanwhile, in the LMGT3 field, five different winners emerged in seven races, with the No.92 Porsche claiming victories for the two remaining ones. 

The series has been producing plenty of exciting storylines, from unpredictable outcomes in every round, the future entries of well-established manufacturers such as Ford and McLaren, to the close competition among these brands around the globe. 

Definitely offers more than just its identity of hosting the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

All the more reasons why the interest in the pinnacle of endurance racing is rapidly growing and will continue to do so.

With the season concluding at Bahrain in a few weeks, on-track action and rising popularity indicate an exciting future for the series.