2026 | WEC | 6 Hours of Fuji | FP1 | Toyota leads Porsche as McLaren tops LMGT3

Toyota Gazoo Racing started its home FIA World Endurance Championship weekend at the top of the timesheets, as the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid led FP1 for the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji.

Kamui Kobayashi set the Hypercar benchmark with a 1:30.114 around Fuji Speedway, putting the Japanese manufacturer ahead of the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. Meanwhile, United Autosports led LMGT3 with the #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo.

The opening 90-minute Practice session began preparations for the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA WEC season, with the championship arriving in Japan following an eventful Lone Star Le Mans at Circuit of The Americas.

Toyota immediately moves to the front at home

Toyota entered its home event searching for a strong response following a challenging season, and the Japanese manufacturer immediately established its pace during Friday’s opening Practice session.

The #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid moved to the head of the Hypercar field through Kobayashi’s 1:30.114. His effort gave Toyota the early advantage at a circuit where the manufacturer has traditionally performed strongly.

The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 provided the closest challenge. The German manufacturer finished just over a tenth away from Toyota’s benchmark as it started its penultimate weekend in the Hypercar category before Porsche Penske Motorsport ends its FIA WEC Hypercar programme after the 2026 season.

Behind the leading pair, the competitive order remained closely matched as manufacturers began working through their Friday programmes.

The #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P placed third, putting the championship-leading manufacturer among the early frontrunners. Ferrari arrived in Japan after another important weekend in its title campaign at Lone Star Le Mans.

Porsche and Ferrari remain close to Toyota

While Toyota held the headline position, Porsche and Ferrari ensured the Japanese manufacturer faced immediate competition.

The #6 Porsche remained Toyota’s closest challenger, while the #50 Ferrari kept the Italian manufacturer inside the top three. The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 also demonstrated competitive early pace to place BMW among the leading Hypercars.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA featured towards the front with the Cadillac V-Series.R, while the second Toyota also remained inside the competitive group during its home weekend.

With FP1 primarily providing teams with an opportunity to establish a baseline for the remainder of Friday, the order continued to evolve as drivers worked through tyre, aerodynamic and set-up programmes.

Fuji’s long main straight also placed particular emphasis on the compromise between straight-line speed and performance through the circuit’s more technical final sector. That challenge gave teams an early opportunity to evaluate their packages before FP2 later on Friday.

McLaren leads LMGT3 with United Autosports

United Autosports established the early LMGT3 benchmark as the #59 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo moved to the top of the class.

The British manufacturer headed the closely fought GT field as teams began preparations for another important weekend in the LMGT3 championship battle.

McLaren’s performance continued its competitive 2026 campaign, with the manufacturer regularly featuring towards the front during its second season in the FIA WEC LMGT3 category.

The #59 crew held the advantage over its closest class rivals as several manufacturers featured near the top of the order.

With significantly different characteristics to the previous round at COTA, Fuji presented the LMGT3 field with another set-up challenge. The circuit combines the championship’s longest straight with a technical final sector, requiring teams to balance top speed against traction and stability through the slower corners.

Fuji begins penultimate round of 2026 WEC season

FP1 represented the first competitive running of the weekend as the WEC entered the penultimate round of its eight-event season.

The championship arrived at Fuji following a dramatic Lone Star Le Mans weekend, with the title fights entering their closing stages before the season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain.

For Toyota, the Japanese round also carries additional significance. Fuji represents the manufacturer’s home race and historically ranks among its strongest circuits on the WEC calendar.

Its early FP1 pace therefore provided an encouraging opening to the weekend, although the narrow gaps behind Kobayashi suggested the competitive picture remained far from settled.

Teams will continue their preparations during FP2 before completing FP3 and Qualifying on Saturday.

2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji FP1 Hypercar results

1. #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing — Toyota GR010 Hybrid — 1:30.114
2. #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport — Porsche 963
3. #50 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P
4. #20 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8
5. #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R
6. #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing — Toyota GR010 Hybrid
7. #51 Ferrari AF Corse — Ferrari 499P
8. #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport — Porsche 963
9. #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA — Cadillac V-Series.R
10. #15 BMW M Team WRT — BMW M Hybrid V8
11. #83 AF Corse — Ferrari 499P
12. #35 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424
13. #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8
14. #36 Alpine Endurance Team — Alpine A424
15. #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies — Peugeot 9X8
16. #009 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie
17. #007 Aston Martin THOR Team — Aston Martin Valkyrie
18. #99 Proton Competition — Porsche 963

2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji FP1 LMGT3 results

1. #59 United Autosports — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
2. #46 Team WRT — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo
3. #78 Akkodis ASP Team — Lexus RC F LMGT3
4. #21 Vista AF Corse — Ferrari 296 LMGT3
5. #92 Manthey 1st Phorm — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
6. #81 TF Sport — Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
7. #87 Akkodis ASP Team — Lexus RC F LMGT3
8. #31 The Bend Team WRT — BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo
9. #54 Vista AF Corse — Ferrari 296 LMGT3
10. #85 Iron Dames — Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
11. #95 United Autosports — McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
12. #88 Proton Competition — Ford Mustang LMGT3
13. #10 Racing Spirit of Léman — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3
14. #77 Proton Competition — Ford Mustang LMGT3
15. #33 TF Sport — Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
16. #61 Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3
17. #60 Iron Lynx — Mercedes-AMG LMGT3
18. #27 Heart of Racing Team — Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3

Toyota therefore leaves FP1 with the early advantage at its home event, although Porsche, Ferrari and BMW remain within the leading group ahead of the remaining Practice sessions.

Meanwhile, United Autosports has established McLaren as the early LMGT3 benchmark. With the opening running complete, teams now turn their attention towards refining their cars during FP2 as preparations continue for Sunday’s 6 Hours of Fuji.