WEC Fuji, big surprises in today’s Hyperpole

In the qualifying Hyperpole session held this morning at the stunning Fuji Speedway, the starting grid for tomorrow’s WEC Fuji race was decided.

Cadillac shines in WEC race no. 100: front row Hyperpole lockout at WEC 6H Fuji!
In this morning’s qualifying session, Cadillac delivered a dominant performance, locking out the entire front row with an impressive show of strength. The #12 Hertz Team Jota car secured pole position with a lap of 1:28.236, averaging 186.2 km/h, edging out its “sister” car, the #38 from the same Jota team, by 0.439 seconds (1:28.675).

Right behind them, the #009 Aston Martin Thor Team delivered an incredible performance, finishing third with a time of 1:28.705 (+0.469). Fourth place went to the #93 Peugeot, just +0.480 behind, showing a resurgence in competitiveness. Disappointing for now is the qualifying result of the Porsche Penske cars, with the #5 only in seventh position at +0.795, behind the #51 Ferrari AF Corse (sixth, 1:28.945) and the #20 BMW Team WRT (fifth, 1:28.854). Completing the top 9 are the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing (1:29.071) and the #35 Alpine (1:29.080), all within one second from the pole — proof of how close the field is.

Cadillac will start from the front in what promises to be a historic race — the 100th round of the FIA WEC.
But all eyes are on the title fight. Ferrari, starting from sixth today, will need to fight back, but they still have a real chance to clinch the championship here at Fuji — if Porsche doesn’t step up.
The factory 963s must absolutely raise their game tomorrow if they want to delay Ferrari’s celebration until the season finale.

6h WEC Fuji, Aston Martin triumphs in the LMGT3 class

The #10 Aston Martin Vantage of Racing Spirit of Leman claimed LMGT3 Hyperpole at Fuji with a lap time of 1:39.981, averaging 164.3 km/h. A solid performance that put everyone in agreement during a highly competitive session.

Right behind, McLaren shone with a United Autosports 1-2 finish: the #95 missed pole by just 0.030 seconds, while the second McLaren was only 0.002 seconds further back. Their times of 1:40.011 and 1:40.013 showcased the excellent balance of the 720S GT3 on the Japanese circuit.

Fourth was the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, 0.406s off the pace with a 1:40.387, followed by the #92 Manthey EMA Porsche, fifth with a 1:40.414 (+0.433s). Chevrolet Corvette TF Sport placed both cars in sixth and seventh positions (#33 and #81), while the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari ended up eighth with a lap of 1:40.600 (+0.619s). The #88 Proton Ford Mustang rounded out the top nine, 0.727s off the top.

Incredibly tight session: the top six cars were separated by less than half a second, highlighting the remarkable balance in the LMGT3 category. Tomorrow, in the 6 Hours of Fuji, consistency will be key — strategy and traffic management are expected to play a much bigger role than qualifying pace.

WEC Timetable

Set your alarms early: tomorrow the action kicks off at 3:30 AM CET—an uncomfortable time for many, but true fans won’t miss it. The 6 Hours of WEC Fuji will run until 10:00 AM, promising a tense and action-packed race. All the top contenders will go head-to-head in a battle that’s bound to deliver drama and surprises throughout the long endurance challenge at Fuji.