The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) heads to Fuji Speedway from 25–27 September for the sixth round of the season, with Toyota returning to home soil at the centre of an increasingly tight three-manufacturer Hypercar title fight.
Toyota remains at the top of the Manufacturers’ Championship on 140 points, but BMW sits only nine behind on 131 after a difficult Lone Star Le Mans for both leading marques. Ferrari has also re-entered the immediate championship picture after Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen delivered its first victory of the season at COTA, taking the defending champion manufacturer to 114 points and reducing its deficit to Toyota to 26.
The Drivers’ Championship remains even closer. BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns share the lead on 75 points with Toyota’s Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries after neither crew scored in Texas. Meanwhile, Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa sit only 11 points behind on 64 following the #8 Toyota’s recovery to sixth.
LMGT3 also arrives in Japan with its championship compressed by COTA. The #33 TF Sport Corvette still leads on 76 points, but the #21 VISTA AF Corse Ferrari has reduced the gap to 22, while The Bend Manthey, Heart of Racing and Manthey DK Engineering sit closely grouped immediately behind.
The provisional 35-car Fuji entry list contains 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3 entries, with only one notable change from COTA as Cadillac returns its #12 V-Series.R to a two-driver line-up.
Fuji combines one of WEC’s shortest laps with one of motorsport’s longest straights
Fuji Speedway presents a very different challenge from COTA. The Japanese circuit measures 4.563km and features 16 corners, comprising six left-handers and 10 right-handers, while its long start-finish straight remains one of the defining characteristics of the lap.
At approximately 1.5km, the main straight gives Hypercars and LMGT3 machinery an extended period at full throttle before the heavy braking zone at Turn 1. However, the remainder of the lap places greater emphasis on slower and medium-speed corners, particularly through the increasingly technical final sector.
That contrast creates a familiar compromise at Fuji. Teams need sufficient straight-line performance to attack and defend along the main straight without sacrificing the grip and balance required through the more technical sections. Traffic should also become a major factor on the relatively short lap, particularly once the 35-car field begins moving through different strategy cycles.
Fuji has hosted 12 previous WEC races, nine of which Toyota has won. However, the home manufacturer failed to take victory last season when Alpine’s #35 A424 of Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin prevailed ahead of Peugeot and Porsche.
Toyota returns home after COTA victory slips away
Toyota arrives at its home round with one of the strongest historical records of any manufacturer at a single WEC venue, but its immediate focus will centre on recovering from a painful finish in Texas.
The #7 Toyota appeared set to win the Lone Star Le Mans after de Vries charged into the lead and built a gap during the closing stages. However, a hydraulic pressure problem affected the car’s power steering and forced it into retirement with barely ten minutes remaining. Ferrari consequently inherited victory with the #50.
That failure prevented Conway, Kobayashi and de Vries from taking sole control of the Drivers’ Championship. Nevertheless, Rast and Frijns also failed to score with the #20 BMW, leaving the two crews tied on 75 points heading into Japan.
Toyota did at least extend its Manufacturers’ advantage. Buemi produced a determined final stint in the #8 after an earlier pit-lane speeding penalty and poorly timed Virtual Safety Car dropped the car to 14th. His recovery to sixth allowed Toyota to leave COTA nine points ahead of BMW rather than the five-point margin it carried into Texas.
The home record adds another layer to the weekend. Toyota has won nine of the 12 WEC races held at Fuji and now targets a tenth, while Kobayashi and Hirakawa give the manufacturer two Japanese drivers competing at its home event.
BMW needs response after difficult COTA round
BMW remains Toyota’s nearest championship challenger despite losing four points relative to the leader at COTA.
The German manufacturer had built considerable momentum before Texas. Rast, Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde delivered BMW’s first outright WEC victory during a historic one-two at Spa-Francorchamps, before Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor won the 6 Hours of São Paulo with the #15 M Hybrid V8.
However, neither car challenged for victory in Austin. The #20 failed to score after Rast received an early penalty, while the #15 finished eighth and contributed only four Manufacturers’ Championship points.
BMW therefore heads to Fuji on 131 points, nine behind Toyota but still 17 ahead of Ferrari. Rast and Frijns remain joint championship leaders, while van der Linde sits separately on 65 after missing the opening round and occupies third in the Drivers’ classification.
Fuji consequently gives BMW another opportunity to challenge Toyota directly while attempting to prevent Ferrari from closing further. With Barcelona and Monza following Japan, a second difficult weekend could significantly alter what had developed into a largely Toyota-BMW contest before COTA.
Ferrari returns to title fight after first 2026 victory
Ferrari arrives in Japan with renewed momentum after finally converting its 2026 pace into victory in Texas.
Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen remained within striking distance throughout a complicated COTA race before the #7 Toyota’s late retirement promoted the #50 Ferrari into first. Their Lone Star Le Mans victory gave the trio 25 points and moved them to 54 in the Drivers’ standings, while Ferrari collected another bonus point through Antonio Giovinazzi’s Hypercar pole.
The result changed Ferrari’s championship outlook considerably. The reigning Manufacturers’ champion entered COTA 44 points behind Toyota but now trails by 26, while only 17 points separate it from BMW.
Ferrari again fields three 499Ps at Fuji. Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen continue in the #50, while Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Giovinazzi share the #51. Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Philip Hanson complete the manufacturer’s presence with the #83 AF Corse entry.
The #51 trio remains Ferrari’s highest-placed Drivers’ Championship combination on 58 points, but the COTA victory has brought the #50 crew to within four points of its factory teammates and 21 of the championship lead.
Cadillac brings growing momentum but changes #12 line-up
Cadillac has steadily moved closer to the front during the middle part of the season and arrives in Japan after its strongest result of 2026.
Jack Aitken matched Giovinazzi’s Hyperpole time to the thousandth of a second at COTA but lost pole because the Ferrari driver set the lap first. Aitken, Earl Bamber and Sébastien Bourdais then remained in the victory fight throughout the race before finishing second in the #38 V-Series.R, less than five seconds behind Ferrari.
That result lifted Cadillac to 80 points and consolidated fourth in the Manufacturers’ Championship. The marque has now scored strongly in consecutive rounds after finishing third and fourth at São Paulo.
The only change across the entire Fuji entry list concerns the sister #12 Cadillac. Ricky Taylor joined Will Stevens and Norman Nato at COTA while Alex Lynn continued his recovery from surgery, but Fuji sees the car revert to Stevens and Nato as a two-driver entry. Lynn is expected to return for the final two rounds.
The #12 also carries a strong Fuji qualifying reference after taking pole at the circuit last season, giving Cadillac another reason to expect competitiveness despite the revised crew.
Alpine returns to scene of breakthrough 2025 victory
Alpine enters Fuji with both recent momentum and the confidence of having won the event only 12 months ago.
Milesi and Habsburg return in the #35 A424 alongside António Félix da Costa, who replaced 2025 Fuji winner Chatin in the line-up this season. Last year, Milesi, Habsburg and Chatin recovered from early setbacks to win the championship’s 100th race and deliver the A424’s first WEC victory.
The #35 arrives in Japan after another podium at COTA. Da Costa, Milesi and Habsburg finished third after remaining among the leading group throughout the six-hour race, while Frédéric Makowiecki, Jules Gounon and Victor Martins brought the #36 home fifth.
Their combined score moved Alpine to 66 points, only 14 behind fourth-placed Cadillac and 14 clear of Aston Martin.
Fuji also provided Peugeot with its strongest 2025 result, as the #93 9X8 finished second behind Alpine. The French manufacturer returns with Paul di Resta, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick Cassidy in the #93, while Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire share the #94.
Aston Martin targets first Valkyrie podium after COTA breakthrough
Aston Martin heads to Fuji with the Valkyrie continuing to establish itself as a genuine threat near the front of the Hypercar field.
Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble finished fourth at COTA after the #007 topped two of the three practice sessions and qualified on the second row. The result extended their points-scoring streak to five races and followed another fourth place at Spa, eighth at Le Mans and sixth at São Paulo.
The performance left Aston Martin on 52 points in the Manufacturers’ Championship, 14 behind Alpine. Tincknell and Gamble have also moved to 42 points in the Drivers’ standings and sit just outside the top 10.
The #007 continues with Tincknell and Gamble at Fuji, while Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen share the #009. Both Valkyries remain two-driver entries.
After coming within seconds of the COTA podium, Fuji gives Aston Martin another opportunity to convert the significant progress made during 2026 into its first top-three WEC result with the Valkyrie.
A 17-car Hypercar field leaves little room for mistakes
The Hypercar grid remains at 17 cars for Fuji, representing eight manufacturers.
Toyota, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, Aston Martin, Peugeot and Genesis each enter two cars, while Ferrari again provides the only three-car manufacturer presence through its pair of factory entries and the #83 AF Corse 499P.
Genesis continues its first WEC campaign with André Lotterer, Luis Felipe Derani and Mathys Jaubert sharing the #17 GMR-001, while Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella continue in the #19. The Korean manufacturer scored six points at COTA and now sits eighth in the standings on 12.
Peugeot remains seventh on 16 points despite showing increasing competitiveness at different stages of the year. Its previous Fuji podium provides a positive circuit reference, while both 9X8s retain unchanged driver combinations.
With only three rounds remaining, teams outside the immediate championship battle can still have a major influence on it. Cadillac, Alpine and Aston Martin all challenged the leaders at COTA, while Fuji’s previous WEC races have frequently produced strategic shifts and unexpected results.
TF Sport retains LMGT3 lead but advantage shrinks
The LMGT3 championship arrives in Japan with TF Sport still leading, although COTA substantially reduced its advantage.
Jonny Edgar leads the Drivers’ classification on 76 points, while Nicky Catsburg sits second on 72. Ben Keating remains on 54 after the #33 Corvette failed to score in Texas. The team also retains first place in the Teams’ standings with 76 points.
However, VISTA AF Corse has moved much closer. François Hériau, Simon Mann and Alessio Rovera finished fourth at COTA to increase the #21 Ferrari’s total to 54, reducing TF Sport’s advantage from 27 points before Texas to 22.
Both manufacturers also carry strong recent Fuji records. Corvette won LMGT3 in Japan last season after a post-race penalty changed the result, while Ferrari had initially taken the chequered flag first.
The #33 Corvette retains Keating, Edgar and Catsburg for Fuji, while the sister #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF entry continues with Peter Dempsey, Salih Yoluç and Charlie Eastwood.
Manthey enters Fuji chasing first 2026 victory
Porsche remains particularly well positioned in the increasingly congested group behind TF Sport.
The Bend Manthey #92 sits third in the Teams’ Championship on 49 points despite failing to score at COTA after contact left Yasser Shahin, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz with steering damage.
However, the sister #91 Manthey DK Engineering Porsche delivered its best result of 2026 in Texas. James Cottingham, Timur Boguslavskiy and Ayhancan Güven finished second after challenging for victory, moving the crew to 48 points and fifth in the Teams’ standings.
Manthey remains unbeaten in the LMGT3 championship since the class began in 2024, but neither of its cars has won a race this season. The team therefore heads to Japan explicitly targeting its first victory of the year as it attempts to keep its hopes of a third consecutive title alive.
Only six points separate second-placed VISTA AF Corse from the #91 Manthey in fifth, leaving a single Fuji result capable of significantly reordering the group behind TF Sport.
Heart of Racing carries COTA momentum to Japan
Heart of Racing arguably brings the strongest immediate LMGT3 form into Fuji after dominating its home weekend in Texas.
Eduardo Barrichello first put the #23 Aston Martin on pole as Heart of Racing completed a front-row lockout before the race. Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Mattia Drudi then won in the #27, while Gray Newell, Barrichello and Jonny Adam finished third with the #23.
The result moved the #23 to 49 points and fourth in the Teams’ Championship, level with The Bend Manthey, while the #27 surged to sixth on 44.
Both Aston Martins therefore arrive in Japan within 10 points of second place and with renewed momentum. The COTA double podium ended Heart of Racing’s two-year WEC victory drought and ensured that another manufacturer enters Fuji with realistic title aspirations.
Eighteen LMGT3 cars represent nine manufacturers
The 18-car LMGT3 field remains unchanged from COTA and features nine manufacturers.
Corvette, Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Ford, Lexus and Porsche all retain two-car representation, leaving the category evenly distributed across the field.
Team WRT arrives with its two BMW M4 LMGT3 Evos, including the #69 of Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Daniel Harper, which sits seventh in the Teams’ Championship on 43 points. Racing Team Turkey by TF holds the same total with its #34 Corvette.
Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus entries follow on 38 and 37 points, while Garage 59, Iron Lynx and Proton Competition remain capable of disrupting the championship contenders after all showing front-running pace at different stages of the season.
The combination of a short lap and a 35-car field should again make traffic management crucial. Bronze-driver performance and avoiding time loss when Hypercars begin lapping the LMGT3 field could prove particularly important during the early stages.
Key 2026 6 Hours of Fuji schedule
The weekend begins with two Free Practice sessions on Friday before Free Practice 3 and both qualifying sessions take place on Saturday. The 6 Hours of Fuji starts at 11:00 local time on Sunday. The complete session information is available through the official 6 Hours of Fuji event page.
Friday, 25 September
- Free Practice 1 — 10:15 local time
- Free Practice 2 — 14:30 local time
Saturday, 26 September
- Free Practice 3 — 09:30 local time
- LMGT3 Qualifying — 14:00 local time
- LMGT3 Hyperpole — 14:20 local time
- Hypercar Qualifying — 14:40 local time
- Hypercar Hyperpole — 15:00 local time
Sunday, 27 September
- 6 Hours of Fuji — 11:00 local time
All times are local to Fuji Speedway, JST.
FIAWEC+ will carry the sessions live and on demand, with regional coverage also available through the championship’s broadcast partners. FIAWEC+ provides the official WEC streaming service.
What to watch in Hypercar
Toyota enters Fuji with the championship lead, the strongest historical record at the circuit and the frustration of a likely COTA victory disappearing in the final ten minutes. That combination places considerable attention on the two TR010 Hybrids as the manufacturer attempts to extend its nine-point advantage on home soil.
BMW has the opposite immediate task. The manufacturer remains close enough to take the lead with a strong weekend, but its COTA performance interrupted a run in which it had won at Spa and São Paulo. Rast and Frijns cannot afford another non-score while they remain tied with the #7 Toyota crew at the top of the Drivers’ Championship.
Ferrari has now made the contest a genuine three-way battle. The #50’s COTA victory reduced the manufacturer’s deficit by 18 points in a single round, meaning another major result at Fuji could bring the defending champions within striking distance before Barcelona.
However, the championship contenders cannot focus solely on one another. Cadillac arrives after finishing second, Alpine returns as the defending Fuji winner and after a COTA podium, while Aston Martin has now twice finished fourth with the #007. The depth of the 17-car field means losing only a few positions can translate into a significant championship swing.
Fuji’s long straight should also create overtaking opportunities, but the technical final sector and heavy traffic place greater importance on finding a balanced race set-up rather than chasing one area of performance.
What to watch in LMGT3
TF Sport remains in control of the LMGT3 standings, but its margin no longer provides the same security it carried into Texas.
The #33 Corvette’s COTA non-score allowed VISTA AF Corse to move within 22 points, while The Bend Manthey, Heart of Racing’s #23 and Manthey DK Engineering sit between 48 and 49 points. Heart of Racing’s winning #27 is only another four points behind.
Manthey arguably faces the greatest opportunity. Its two cars remain separated by a single point, and the #91 arrives directly from second place at COTA. A first victory of the season could immediately transform its title position.
Heart of Racing also needs to prove that its Texas result can translate to a very different circuit. Its COTA front-row lockout and one-three finish demonstrated both qualifying and race pace, but Fuji presents different demands and a championship situation in which every lost position becomes increasingly expensive.
Corvette and Ferrari both have positive Fuji history, while Porsche, Aston Martin and BMW remain close enough that the order behind TF Sport could look completely different by Sunday evening.
Fuji begins final three-race push for WEC titles
The 6 Hours of Fuji starts the final three-round stretch of a championship that has tightened significantly since the summer.
Toyota still controls the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, but its advantage stands at only nine points over BMW and 26 over Ferrari. The Drivers’ title remains level at the top, while the #8 Toyota, #51 Ferrari and both BMW crews remain close enough to capitalise on any mistake.
LMGT3 presents a similarly open picture. TF Sport retains a meaningful lead, but six teams now sit between 44 and 54 points behind it, and COTA showed how quickly one difficult race can alter the standings.
Fuji therefore provides far more than Toyota’s traditional homecoming. It offers the Japanese manufacturer an opportunity to create breathing room, BMW a chance to regain the momentum it carried before Texas and Ferrari the possibility of turning its COTA breakthrough into a sustained title challenge.
With Barcelona and Monza following Japan, opportunities to recover lost points are disappearing quickly. Round six may not decide either championship, but it could determine which teams arrive in Europe with control of their own title prospects.
