Porsche Penske emerged victorious at the 6 Hours of Fuji after edging out its closest rival Toyota to secure a pivotal win that inched them closer to the 2024 FIA WEC title.
With their victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji, Porsche Penske Motorsport drivers Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer made a major advance towards claiming the FIA World Endurance Championship as title rival Toyota had to call it quits following an incident involving the sister Porsche 963.
The race held at the picturesque Fuji Speedway marked the penultimate round of the season and was attended by over 68,000 passionate fans, all eager to witness a showdown between the sport’s elite manufacturers.
The race began with the #2 Cadillac Racing entry, driven by Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, taking the lead off the line. However, it was not long before the competition intensified, particularly between Porsche, Toyota, and BMW.
Porsche’s #6 entry, piloted by the formidable trio of Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer started from the fifth position, while Toyota’s #7 GR010 Hybrid, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries, was considered a favorite, having dominated previous races at the Fuji circuit.
As the race commenced, the drivers quickly settled into their rhythm, with Estre making a rapid ascent through the ranks. By the end of the first hour, he had maneuvered the Porsche into a competitive position, showcasing the car’s speed and reliability.
However, the early stages were not without drama. The #5 Porsche, driven by Frédéric Makowiecki, suffered a collision that forced an unscheduled pit stop, setting the team back significantly. Despite this setback, the #5 car managed to stay on the same lap as the leaders, demonstrating the strategic depth of the Porsche team.
As the race progressed the battle for the lead intensified. The first round of pit stops proved to be a pivotal moment in the race, as Porsche’s strategic decisions allowed them to leapfrog their competitors, including the leading Cadillac Racing V-Series.R.
The #6 Porsche, now driven by Lotterer, took advantage of a well-timed pit stop to regain the lead. Meanwhile, the #15 BMW M Team WRT, driven by Raffaele Marciello, Dries Vanthoor, and Marco Wittmann, emerging as a formidable contender.
The BMW team executed a flawless race strategy, maintaining their position and capitalizing on the misfortunes of their rivals to eventually finish second. This marked a historic moment for BMW M Team WRT, as they achieved their first-ever podium finish in the WEC, crossing the line in second place behind the victorious Porsche.
However, the 6 Hours of Fuji claimed more victims. In the penultimate hour, a collision between the #7 Toyota and the #5 Porsche, piloted by Matt Campbell, resulted in both cars being forced to retire from the race.
This incident was a major blow to Toyota’s championship hopes, as they were unable to secure a podium finish for the first time since 2015 at Fuji. The #8 Toyota, driven by Sébastien Buemi, Ryō Hirakawa, and Brendon Hartley, was also in contention but suffered a late-race penalty for ignoring blue flags while being lapped by the leading Porsche, ultimately finishing fourth.
In the final laps, the battle for the final podium position intensified between the #36 Alpine of Mick Schumacher and the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche. Schumacher executed a brilliant overtaking maneuver to secure third place, capping off a strong performance for Alpine.
Meanwhile, Mikkel Jensen delivered Peugeot its best finish with the revised 9X8 2024 in fourth place alongside Jean-Eric Vergne and Nico Mueller.
Fifth place for Nato, Will Stevens and Callum Ilott was still enough to make them the lead privateer car home, wrapping up the 2024 FIA WEC for Hypercar Teams with a race to spare, while sixth went to the sister #38 JOTA Porsche.
Milesi recovered to seventh in the #35 Alpine, ahead of the #94 Peugeot, while the #50 Ferrari of Nielsen, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco struggled to ninth, marking the Italian marque’s worst-ever WEC finish with the 499P.
Hirakawa claimed the final point in the #Toyota he shared with Brendon Hartley and Sebastien Buemi, completing a nightmare race on home turf.
The pole-sitting No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which dropped down the order following its puncture shortly before halfway, was eliminated from the race when Earl Bamber crashed at the long Turn 4 right-hander while battling one of the Alpines.
The race concluded with Porsche’s triumphant return to the top step of the podium, solidifying their lead in the championship standings. Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer celebrated their second victory of the season, extending their points lead to 35 with only one round remaining in Bahrain.
This victory was particularly emotional for Lotterer, who expressed his joy at winning in Japan, a country he holds dear after years of living there.
Manthey PureRxcing secures LMGT3 title as AF Corse wins
In the LMGT3 class, Ferrari celebrated a remarkable victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji with their #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3, driven by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon.
The win marked Ferrari’s first triumph in the LMGT3 category, adding to the excitement of the event.
The race saw intense competition in the GT class, with several teams vying for the top positions, including the Manthey PureRxcing Porsche, which secured second place and clinched the 2024 FIA WEC LMGT3 title on the penultimate round.
