6 hours of Fuji: Toyota remains king at home, with the number 7 car taking the victory ahead of the number 8 car

Porsche could have surprised everyone. After a chaotic start, the crew of car number 6 held the lead for a large portion of the race. Toyota had to fight to regain the positions they held on the starting grid. The 6 Hours of Fuji were also marked by numerous collisions and an intense battle for victory in the LMP2 category.

Trouble at the start

The two Toyotas were locking down the front row. They didn’t take advantage of this advantage because, right from the first turn, Porsche number 6, driven by Laurens Vanthoor, surprised them on the inside to take the lead. Behind them, numerous contacts, especially in the Hypercar category, occurred. Ferrari number 50 took advantage of this to settle into second place. On the other hand, the sister car, number 51, suffered a puncture and lost a considerable amount of time.

After the intervention of the safety car following a spin by Ferrari number 83 (LMGTE-AM), Toyota overtook the Ferrari that was in second place. The Vanwall was already two laps behind the race leader, after one hour of the race.

Behind, there was battle at every level. Cadillac and Peugeot fiercely fought. The goal of the Lionesses was to avoid mechanical issues. During these six hours of racing, the 9X8 did not show major failures. Only a hydraulic pressure check was performed one hour before the end of the race. Mechanical problems rather affected the Porsche of the Proton team, which spent long minutes in the pits.

Alert for Toyota

In the LMGTE-AM category, the Corvette number 63 was penalized for causing contact with the Ferrari number 54. Although the crew had already been crowned, they lost the advantage of their pole position. Ultimately, it was the number 54 from AF Corse that emerged victorious in this category. Despite the penalty, the Corvette secured third place. The Iron Dames crew finished fourth.

At the end of the race, Brendon Hartley was struggling with his Toyota number 8. The New Zealander complained on the radio about a malfunction. His team told him to manage his lead. In second position, he lost ground to the sister car, which was leading. But he maintained the gap with the Porsche number 6, in third place.

Alpine better in racing

In LMP2, the two cars from Team WRT and car number 22 from United Motorsport, like throughout the season, fought for victory. This battle turned in favor of car number 41 from Team WRT. Alpine once again proved that their race pace is stronger than in qualifying. The crew of car number 36 finished in fifth place in the category. However, car number 35 finished in last position.

The Hypercar podium

The LMP2 podium

The LMGTE-AM podium