6 Hours of Fuji: The final battle is taking shape

Hypercar: Ferrari’s revenge?

The Scuderia has been, throughout the season, a thorn in the side for Toyota: right from the first race of the season at Sebring, Ferrari made an impression with a fast lap, securing none other than the pole position for the debut of the 499P.

This year, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, the Reds crushed the highly favored Toyota in a mano a mano that will go down in history. And naturally, stung by this defeat, the Japanese took their revenge at Monza, depriving the Rossa of a home victory.

On the grounds of Mount Fuji, the two manufacturers are already vying for the top spots. Ferrari achieved a one-two finish in the rain during the morning session, before Toyota made a big impact in the second session. The No. 8 car of the Hartley/Buemi/Hirakawa trio recorded a full second advantage over its Italian rivals.

But Ferrari has a formal ban on idling: their victory at Le Mans allowed the N°51 (Giovinazzi/Pier Guidi/Calado) to trail only 23 points behind the Toyota N°8 with two rounds left in the championship. Needless to say, this is almost nothing, as reliability could be the determining factor in the title race among the drivers… especially considering that the 8 Hours of Bahrain will award 38 points for the win.

While the fight rages on between Ferrari and Toyota, other manufacturers are still on the lookout: Porsches, notably the Jota No. 38 (Ye/Stevens/Da Costa), have shown themselves to be quite fast in both dry and wet conditions. The trickier conditions seem to favor Peugeot more willingly: No. 94 (Mullër/Menezes/Vandoorne) recorded the third-best time in FP1. Can they confirm the podium finish from Monza achieved by No. 93? Hopes are high.

The only engaged Cadillac, the No.2 (Bamber/Lynn/Westbrook), shows a slight disadvantage. Glickenhaus will not take part, while Vanwall will once again try to improve, far behind the factory teams.

Finally, in the BoP, the Vanwall No. 4 (Guerrieri/Vauthier/De Oliveira) will be the only one at the minimum weight (1,030 kg). Toyota will weigh 1,080 kilos, while Ferrari has added five kilos to the 499P (1,069). The most noticeable weight loss has been for Cadillac, which had 14 kilos removed in one go (1,032). Peugeot, on the other hand, will weigh 1,046 kilos.

LMP2, GTE-Am: Alpine on the path to redemption, Corvette in peril?

In the LMP2 category, it is always difficult to know who can come out on top. In the FIA Trophy standings, only ten points separate the WRT N°41 (Kubica/Deletraz/Andrade) from the Inter Europol N°34 (Scherer/Costa/Smiechowski). The Belgian team’s prototype even set the fastest time in FP2, ahead of the Jota N°28, which seems comfortable regardless of the conditions.

But for the French audience, all eyes are turned towards Alpine, which is slowly preparing for its involvement in Hypercar next year: the No. 36 (Milesi/Canal/Vaxivière) has gained momentum throughout the season to finally achieve a podium, a superb 2nd place in Monza!

The foundation is there, even if the free practice sessions of the French team were quite discreet (6th in FP1, 9th in FP2). To aim for the podium, and why not even better, they will have to overcome fierce competition, on a grid of eleven cars that are very close in race pace.

Finally, on the LMGTE-Am side, the poor performance of Corvette, whose drivers were crowned champions at Monza, raises questions. On the Fuji circuit, the AF Corse Ferraris showed a very interesting pace. With the FIA Drivers’ Trophy title already decided, the battle among the twelve GT cars promises to be more open than ever for the win.

The Amiénoise Lilou Wadoux, on the Richard Mille AF Corse No. 83, could then win a second victory in her career if the pace of the 488s is confirmed. But watch out for the competition: the Porsche of Dempsey-Proton No.77 remains in a favorable position. As for the Iron Dames (Porsche No.85), it’s difficult to see them come out on top.