Alpine Leads Dry Fuji Practice as Ferrari Bets on Rain to Level Field

Key points

• Victor Martins set the fastest Hypercar lap of 1:29.304 in FP2, edging out Aston Martin by 0.039s.
• Ben Tuck led the LMGT3 category with a time of 1:39.828, significantly faster than 2025 benchmarks.
• Ferrari drivers Antonio Fuoco and Antonio Giovinazzi acknowledged their car’s weakness at Fuji, hoping rain will neutralize rivals.
• BMW’s Robin Frijns confirmed the team skipped qualifying simulations to focus on long-run pace, finishing last in FP2.
• Toyota’s Brendon Hartley stated the No. 8 car’s setup regressed in FP2 after a strong FP1 performance by Ryo Hirakawa.

Background

The 6 Hours of Fuji is the sixth round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. Alpine has been consistently competitive this season, while Ferrari has historically struggled at this circuit. Toyota won the opening race at Imola and is a title contender. The upcoming Barcelona round in October will feature Ferrari’s 2027-spec Evo car, which will not be tested at Fuji.

How outlets are covering it

Sportscar365 and fiawec.com agree on Alpine’s FP2 dominance and Ford’s LMGT3 lead. However, Motorsport.com emphasizes Ferrari’s strategic hope for rain to disrupt the field, noting that Alpine and Genesis are currently the strongest dry-pace cars. Sportscar365 highlights BMW’s deliberate choice to skip qualifying sims for long-run data, a tactical decision not detailed in the other sources. fiawec.com provides precise lap time gaps, while Motorsport.com focuses on the championship implications of weather variability.

Why it matters

The 6 Hours of Fuji is a pivotal round for the 2026 WEC titles. Weather conditions could drastically alter the competitive order, potentially favoring cars like Ferrari that struggle on dry asphalt but perform better in the wet. The performance of new entrants like Genesis and the reliability of title contenders like Toyota and Alpine will influence the championship standings heading into the final rounds.

What to watch

Free Practice 3 is scheduled for Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. local time, followed by qualifying at 2:00 p.m. local time. Rain is forecast for Saturday and Sunday, which may impact qualifying and race strategy. Ferrari plans a one-hour shakedown test at Fuji on Tuesday, September 29, before shipping its cars to Barcelona.