The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship heads to Fuji Speedway from 25-27 September for Round 6, with the season entering a decisive phase and both the Hypercar and LMGT3 title fights remaining closely contested. Toyota arrives at its home race leading the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship with 140 points, but BMW sits only nine behind on 131, while Ferrari’s first victory of the season at COTA has brought the reigning champion back into contention on 114. The post-COTA championship standings therefore leave three manufacturers separated by only 26 points before the final three rounds.
The Drivers’ Championship is even tighter. BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns remain level on 75 points with Toyota’s Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, while Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa sit only 11 points further back in the sister Toyota. LMGT3 also remains open after TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette failed to score at COTA, allowing VISTA AF Corse and several other challengers to close the gap considerably. Across both classes, a 35-car field of 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries will tackle a circuit where weather, tyre management and contrasting setup demands can rapidly upset the expected order.
Fuji presents one of WEC’s most distinctive challenges
Fuji Speedway has become one of the WEC’s most recognisable venues since joining the championship during its inaugural 2012 season. The 4.563-kilometre circuit contains 16 corners, but its defining feature remains the 1.475-kilometre start-finish straight, where today’s Hypercars can exceed 330km/h before braking heavily for Turn 1. That enormous straight places a premium on aerodynamic efficiency and straight-line speed, but teams cannot simply trim away downforce because the remainder of the lap demands a very different approach.
The middle sector introduces faster corners requiring stability and confidence under lateral load, while the final sector becomes slower and increasingly technical, placing greater emphasis on mechanical grip and traction. Those competing demands make Fuji a circuit of compromise, particularly because any setup optimised too aggressively for the straight can leave a car vulnerable through the final third of the lap. The circuit has also become increasingly unpredictable in recent seasons, with no class winner in 2025 starting from inside the first three rows and neither of the previous two Hypercar pole-sitters ultimately finishing on the podium.
Toyota targets 10th home victory
Toyota’s record at Fuji remains extraordinary. The Japanese manufacturer has won nine of the 12 WEC races held at the circuit, giving it a 75% success rate at its home venue and making Fuji one of the strongest tracks in the company’s endurance racing history. Porsche interrupted that run in 2015 and 2024, while Alpine became the latest manufacturer to beat Toyota when it won the 2025 edition.
The manufacturer therefore returns seeking its first Fuji victory since 2023 and an important result in an increasingly close championship. Toyota lost what appeared to be a strong opportunity to win at COTA when the No. 7 TR010 Hybrid of Conway, Kobayashi and de Vries suffered a hydraulic problem that affected its power steering during the closing stages. The retirement handed Ferrari victory, although Toyota still extended its Manufacturers’ Championship lead because BMW also endured a difficult race. Toyota’s late COTA setback did not remove the No. 7 crew from the Drivers’ Championship lead, as it remains tied with Rast and Frijns on 75 points.
Fuji also provides Toyota with an opportunity to continue an unusual trend. Every new Toyota WEC prototype before the current TR010 has won on its first appearance at the circuit, beginning with the TS030 in 2012 and continuing through the TS040, TS050 and GR010. The TR010 has already won at Imola and the 24 Hours of Le Mans during its debut season, and victory at Fuji would further strengthen Toyota’s championship position while continuing its formidable home record.
BMW looks to protect joint Drivers’ Championship lead
BMW arrives only nine points behind Toyota in the Manufacturers’ standings despite failing to score heavily at COTA. The German marque has already produced its strongest WEC Hypercar campaign since entering the category, highlighted by a breakthrough one-two at Spa-Francorchamps and another victory at São Paulo. Those results transformed BMW from an occasional podium contender into one of Toyota’s principal championship rivals.
The No. 20 of Rast and Frijns scored nothing at COTA, while the No. 15 managed only eighth, but Toyota’s late retirement preserved the tie at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. Fuji therefore becomes especially important because a sizeable swing between the two manufacturers could shape the final rounds in Barcelona and Monza. BMW also has positive history at Fuji, having finished second during its first WEC appearance at the circuit in 2024, when the M Hybrid V8 claimed its maiden championship podium.
Ferrari carries renewed momentum after COTA breakthrough
Ferrari entered COTA 44 points behind Toyota and still searching for its first victory of the 2026 season, but the No. 50 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen capitalised on Toyota’s late retirement to take the win. Ferrari’s victory at the Lone Star Le Mans cut the manufacturer’s deficit to 26 points and ensured the championship became a genuine three-way contest heading into Japan.
The No. 50 crew also made significant progress in the Drivers’ standings, moving to 54 points and within 21 of the leaders. Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado remain even closer on 58 despite scoring only the Hypercar pole bonus in Texas. Fuji represents one of the few gaps in Ferrari’s 499P record, as the car has never finished on the podium at the Japanese circuit. Changing that statistic would come at an ideal moment as Ferrari attempts to turn its late-season momentum into a full championship comeback.
Alpine returns to the scene of its breakthrough win
Alpine arrives at Fuji as the defending race winner after Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin secured the A424’s maiden WEC victory there in 2025. Strategy played a major role in that result, including a successful double stint on Michelin tyres that allowed Alpine to reduce pit-lane time while maintaining competitive pace.
The French manufacturer also heads to Japan after its strongest overall weekend of 2026. Milesi, Habsburg and António Félix da Costa initially finished second at COTA before an unsafe-release penalty dropped the No. 35 to third, while the No. 36 finished fifth. Those results moved Alpine to 66 points in the Manufacturers’ standings and gave the team useful momentum before returning to a circuit where the A424 has already won.
However, the driver line-ups will look different this weekend. António Félix da Costa and Frédéric Makowiecki have been benched for Fuji, leaving Alpine to run two-driver crews in both cars. Milesi will share the No. 35 with Habsburg, while Jules Gounon and Victor Martins take the No. 36. The A424 consequently remains the only Hypercar in this year’s Fuji field that has already won the race.
Cadillac seeks to convert qualifying speed into a race result
Cadillac has become Fuji’s recent qualifying benchmark without translating that speed into victory. The American manufacturer has taken Hypercar pole at the circuit in each of the previous two seasons, both times through Alex Lynn, but the No. 12 driver remains absent as he continues recovering from neck surgery. Will Stevens and Norman Nato will therefore share that car as a two-driver combination.
Stevens still brings a strong record of his own to Japan. He won the LMP2 class at Fuji in 2016 and set the Hypercar race lap record during the 2025 event. Cadillac also arrives after another encouraging COTA result, where Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais were promoted to second following Alpine’s post-race penalty. The result moved Cadillac to 80 Manufacturers’ Championship points and fourth overall, leaving the team well positioned to capitalise if the three championship leaders encounter trouble.
Aston Martin continues steady Hypercar progress
Aston Martin’s Valkyrie has gradually moved closer to the established Hypercar front-runners during its second WEC season. Fuji played an important part in that development during 2025, when the car recorded its first championship top-five finish, and the No. 007 has since matched or improved upon that benchmark several times.
Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble arrive in Japan after finishing fourth at COTA, equalling the Valkyrie’s best result of the season and adding another 12 points to Aston Martin’s total. The naturally aspirated V12-powered car should once again be visually and aurally distinctive on Fuji’s main straight, while the circuit’s slower final sector will provide another useful test of Aston Martin’s progress with mechanical grip and tyre utilisation. The marque now sits sixth in the Manufacturers’ standings on 52 points, only 14 behind Alpine.
Peugeot hopes Fuji can again deliver a breakthrough
Peugeot produced one of its strongest 2025 results at Fuji when the 9X8 finished second behind Alpine. The manufacturer has found consistent points harder to achieve this year, but its previous performance at the Japanese circuit gives it a positive reference heading into the weekend.
The No. 94 of Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire scored the final Hypercar point at COTA with 10th, while Duval reaches a significant milestone in Japan as he prepares for his 80th WEC start. He also holds the outright fastest race lap around Fuji, meaning Peugeot has both historic and recent evidence that the circuit can suit the 9X8 if it can execute a clean weekend.
Genesis continues to build during maiden season
Genesis reaches Fuji still gathering experience during its first WEC campaign, but the GMR-001 produced its strongest result so far at COTA. André Lotterer, Luis Felipe Derani and Mathys Jaubert finished seventh in the No. 17, adding six points to Genesis’ total and providing another sign of gradual progress.
Fuji presents an entirely new challenge for the Korean manufacturer, with its contrasting sectors and potential weather changes creating another opportunity to collect valuable development data. The sister No. 19 of Daniel Juncadella, Mathieu Jaminet and former Fuji winner Chatin will also attempt to score its first points of the season as Genesis continues preparing for the final two rounds.
Corvette retains LMGT3 advantage despite COTA setback
TF Sport continues to lead the LMGT3 championship, but its advantage is considerably smaller than it was before the previous round. The No. 33 Corvette of Jonny Edgar, Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating failed to score at COTA after Keating spun on the opening lap, leaving the entry on 76 points.
VISTA AF Corse took advantage by finishing fourth with François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera, moving the No. 21 Ferrari to 54 points and reducing TF Sport’s advantage to 22. The LMGT3 standings after COTA also show just six points covering second through fifth, with The Bend Manthey Porsche and Heart of Racing’s No. 23 Aston Martin both on 49 and Manthey DK Engineering only one point behind.
Corvette nevertheless returns to a circuit where it has recent success. TF Sport won the 2025 LMGT3 race at Fuji with the No. 33, while the team itself has recorded three class victories at the circuit across different regulations. That record gives the championship leader a useful foundation as it attempts to respond to the points lost in Texas.
Ferrari remains Corvette’s nearest LMGT3 challenger
VISTA AF Corse enters Fuji as the most immediate threat to TF Sport. Rovera, Hériau and Mann have built their championship position largely through consistency rather than outright victories and now sit second on 54 points after another strong top-five finish at COTA.
Ferrari also has unfinished business in Japan. The No. 21 crossed the line first at Fuji last season before a post-race penalty handed victory to Corvette, demonstrating that the 296 LMGT3 already has race-winning performance at the circuit. With only 22 points separating the two teams, another strong result could bring the championship fight substantially closer before the final two rounds.
Aston Martin brings COTA momentum into Japan
Heart of Racing produced the standout LMGT3 performance at COTA and now carries that momentum into Fuji. Eduardo Barrichello secured pole as Aston Martin locked out the front row, before Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi won with the No. 27 Vantage. Gray Newell, Barrichello and Jonny Adam added third in the No. 23 to complete a one-three result for the team.
Heart of Racing’s COTA success moved the No. 23 to 49 points and fourth in the Teams’ standings, level with The Bend Manthey, while the race-winning No. 27 climbed to sixth on 44. Fuji presents a different challenge, but the Vantage enters the weekend as one of the strongest recent LMGT3 packages.
Porsche, BMW and Lexus remain part of congested LMGT3 battle
Several manufacturers remain tightly grouped immediately behind TF Sport. The Bend Manthey’s No. 92 Porsche sits third on 49 points despite failing to score at COTA because of a steering problem, while Manthey DK Engineering is only one point behind after finishing second in Texas.
Team WRT’s No. 69 BMW remains seventh on 43 after a scoreless COTA weekend, but the M4 LMGT3 has finished on the class podium in both of its previous WEC appearances at Fuji. Lexus also has added motivation at its home event, with Akkodis ASP’s No. 87 and No. 78 sitting ninth and 10th in the championship. With Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW and Lexus all separated by relatively small margins, Fuji could significantly reshape the order behind Corvette.
Michelin tyre choice adds another strategic dimension
Hypercar teams will choose between Michelin’s soft and medium Pilot Sport Endurance slicks throughout the weekend, with a Wet compound also available if conditions deteriorate. Fuji marks the first visit to the circuit for Michelin’s current tyre range, which contains 50% renewable or recycled materials and features improved warm-up characteristics.
The circuit’s layout makes that particularly relevant. The long main straight provides limited lateral energy before the heavy Turn 1 braking zone, while the faster middle sector and slower final corners place very different demands on the same tyre. Michelin’s Fuji preparation therefore centres on balancing warm-up, immediate performance and degradation over full stints.
The improved warm-up behaviour could help drivers attack sooner after pit stops, particularly if temperatures fall, but teams must also avoid using too much of the tyre early in a stint. Alpine’s 2025 victory showed how effective extended tyre use can be at Fuji, with its successful double stint demonstrating that degradation management may ultimately prove more valuable than outright short-run pace.
Driver changes add another strategic variable
The Fuji entry comprises 35 cars, with 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 machines representing a wide range of manufacturers. Toyota, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, Aston Martin, Peugeot and Genesis each field two Hypercars, while Ferrari brings three 499Ps through its two factory entries and the No. 83 AF Corse car. LMGT3 features Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
The biggest line-up changes come in Hypercar. Alpine’s decision to run two drivers in both A424s and Cadillac’s two-driver No. 12 entry create different workload and strategy considerations compared with the conventional three-driver approach. Over a six-hour race, those crews will need to manage longer individual driving commitments while still meeting all regulatory requirements.
Weekend schedule and how to watch
Track action begins on Friday, 25 September with Free Practice 1 at 10:15 local time and Free Practice 2 at 14:30. Saturday features Free Practice 3 at 09:30 before the qualifying programme begins with LMGT3 Qualifying at 14:00, LMGT3 Hyperpole at 14:20, Hypercar Qualifying at 14:40 and Hypercar Hyperpole at 15:00. The 6 Hours of Fuji starts at 11:00 local time on Sunday, 27 September.
The complete Fuji timetable and viewing guide provides regional broadcast information, while FIAWEC+ will carry live and on-demand coverage alongside onboard cameras, timing and additional race data.
Fuji therefore arrives at a crucial point in the 2026 season. Toyota has home advantage and the strongest historical record at the circuit, but BMW remains only nine points behind and Ferrari has re-entered the championship fight after its COTA breakthrough. The Drivers’ Championship begins the weekend tied at the top, Alpine returns to the scene of its maiden A424 victory, and several other manufacturers have realistic opportunities to disrupt the leading three.
LMGT3 offers a similarly unpredictable picture. TF Sport still controls the championship, but its advantage has narrowed considerably and Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW and Lexus remain close enough to capitalise on another difficult weekend for the Corvette. With Fuji’s contrasting layout, uncertain weather and demanding tyre management adding further variables, Round 6 has the potential to reshape both championships before the WEC heads into its final two events.
