Alpine Endurance Team moved to the top of the timesheets during FP2 for the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Fuji, as the #35 Alpine A424 set the fastest Hypercar time on Friday afternoon.
Paul-Loup Chatin produced a 1:29.551 to lead the session, putting Alpine ahead of the #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P. The result represented a significant improvement for the French manufacturer after Toyota Gazoo Racing had controlled FP1 at Fuji.
Meanwhile, Proton Competition led LMGT3 with the #88 Ford Mustang LMGT3. Stefano Gattuso set the class benchmark to move Ford ahead after United Autosports and McLaren had led the opening Practice session.
Alpine moves to the front with Chatin
Alpine emerged at the head of the Hypercar order as lap times dropped during Friday afternoon’s 90-minute Practice session.
Chatin produced a 1:29.551 in the #35 Alpine A424 to establish the fastest time of the day and put the French manufacturer at the front. His effort represented a significant step forward from FP1, when Alpine had finished outside the leading group.
The #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P provided the closest challenge. Antonio Fuoco recorded a 1:29.633 and finished only 0.082s behind Chatin as Ferrari maintained its presence towards the front following its third-place result during FP1.
Behind the leading pair, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA moved into third with the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R. Alex Lynn set the American manufacturer’s fastest time and finished 0.144s away from Alpine’s benchmark.
The small margins between the leading three highlighted an increasingly competitive Hypercar order as teams continued their preparations for the penultimate round of the 2026 season.
BMW and Ferrari complete closely matched top five
BMW M Team WRT continued its competitive Friday as the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 took fourth.
The car had already featured towards the front during FP1 and remained among the leading contenders as conditions changed during the afternoon.
Ferrari also placed a second car inside the top five through the #83 AF Corse entry. That result gave the Italian manufacturer two cars among the leading five as it continued preparations for an important weekend in the championship battle.
The gaps remained small throughout the leading group, with several manufacturers demonstrating the pace to challenge at the front.
Toyota, meanwhile, dropped down the order after leading the opening session. Kamui Kobayashi had set the FP1 benchmark for the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, but the Japanese manufacturer could not match Alpine’s improved afternoon pace.
Nevertheless, Friday remained primarily about preparation rather than outright position. Teams continued evaluating tyre behaviour and set-up options around a Fuji Speedway layout that demands a compromise between straight-line speed and performance through the technical final sector.
Aston Martin continues Fuji preparations
Aston Martin THOR Team continued to gather data with its two Valkyries as the naturally aspirated Hypercars completed their Friday programme.
The British manufacturer entered Fuji following another important stage in the development of its first WEC Hypercar campaign. The distinctive Valkyrie faces a particularly interesting challenge at Fuji, where efficiency along the long main straight must combine with mechanical grip through the slower final sector.
Peugeot TotalEnergies and Porsche Penske Motorsport also continued their preparations outside the leading positions.
For Porsche, Fuji forms part of the closing stages of its FIA WEC Hypercar programme. The German manufacturer remains an important factor in the championship fight despite failing to replicate its front-running FP1 position during the afternoon.
With FP3 still to come on Saturday, the competitive order remained open after two different manufacturers topped Friday’s Practice sessions.
Ford Mustang takes over at the top of LMGT3
Proton Competition moved Ford to the head of the LMGT3 field after McLaren had controlled the opening session.
Gattuso set the benchmark in the #88 Ford Mustang LMGT3, producing a 1:40.047 to give the American manufacturer the fastest class time.
The performance represented an encouraging start to the weekend for Proton Competition as the team worked to maximise the Mustang’s strengths around Fuji.
United Autosports had set the LMGT3 pace during FP1 with the #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, but the afternoon brought another manufacturer to the front.
Behind Ford, the order remained closely contested as the 18-car LMGT3 field continued working through its Friday programmes.
Lexus features strongly at home event
Akkodis ASP Team also showed encouraging pace during Lexus’ home WEC round.
The Lexus RC F LMGT3 remains one of the championship’s longest-serving GT3 platforms, but the Japanese manufacturer continued to feature competitively as the field prepared for Sunday’s six-hour race.
The home event carries additional significance for Lexus alongside Toyota, with both manufacturers competing in front of their Japanese supporters.
BMW, Ferrari, Corvette, Porsche, Aston Martin and McLaren also remained involved in a tightly packed LMGT3 field, leaving little indication that any manufacturer held a decisive advantage after Friday.
With Balance of Performance, tyre behaviour and traffic management all influencing the class, the competitive picture can also change considerably between Practice and Qualifying.
Two manufacturers lead Friday’s Hypercar sessions
Alpine’s FP2 performance ensured two different manufacturers ended Friday’s sessions at the top of the Hypercar classification.
Toyota opened its home weekend strongly through Kobayashi in FP1 before Chatin lowered the day’s benchmark by more than half a second during the afternoon.
Ferrari remained consistently competitive across both sessions, while Cadillac and BMW also featured towards the front during FP2.
The changing order underlined the importance of Saturday’s final Practice session. Teams still have another opportunity to refine their cars before attention turns towards Qualifying and Hyperpole.
Fuji’s layout provides a distinctive challenge within the WEC calendar. Its exceptionally long main straight rewards aerodynamic efficiency, while the technical final sector places greater emphasis on mechanical grip and tyre management.
Teams therefore need to find a compromise that works across very different sections of the lap, particularly as they prepare for the demands of Sunday’s six-hour race.
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji FP2 Hypercar results
- #35 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424 — 1:29.551
- #50 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P — +0.082s
- #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R — +0.144s
- #20 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8
- #83 AF Corse — Ferrari 499P
- #51 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P
- #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R
- #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing — Toyota GR010 Hybrid
- #15 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8
- #36 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424
- #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing — Toyota GR010 Hybrid
- #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport — Porsche 963
- #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport — Porsche 963
- #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8
- #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8
- #009 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie
- #007 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie
- #99 Proton Competition — Porsche 963
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji FP2 LMGT3 results
- #88 Proton Competition — Ford Mustang LMGT3 — 1:40.047
- #78 Akkodis ASP Team — Lexus RC F LMGT3
- #46 Team WRT — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo
- #59 United Autosports — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
- #21 Vista AF Corse — Ferrari 296 LMGT3
- #87 Akkodis ASP Team — Lexus RC F LMGT3
- #92 Manthey 1st Phorm — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
- #81 TF Sport — Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
- #31 The Bend Team WRT — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo
- #54 Vista AF Corse — Ferrari 296 LMGT3
- #95 United Autosports — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
- #85 Iron Dames — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
- #77 Proton Competition — Ford Mustang LMGT3
- #10 Racing Spirit of Léman — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3
- #33 TF Sport — Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
- #27 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3
- #61 Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3
- #60 Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3
Alpine therefore concludes Friday with the fastest overall lap after Chatin’s 1:29.551 displaced Toyota from the head of the timesheets. Ferrari and Cadillac finished close behind, leaving three manufacturers separated by less than two tenths.
LMGT3 also produced a change at the front as Proton Competition and Ford displaced the FP1-leading United Autosports McLaren.
The field returns for FP3 on Saturday before Qualifying determines the cars that progress into Hyperpole. With Toyota and Alpine sharing Friday’s Hypercar session honours, the final Practice session will provide the teams with their last opportunity to refine their packages before the competitive sessions begin.
