The qualifying segment for the Fuji 6 Hours World Endurance Championship event has been called off due to extreme rainfall and hazardous track conditions. This decision was made after initial attempts to proceed were quickly halted by safety concerns. Consequently, starting positions for Sunday's main race will be determined by the times recorded during the earlier practice sessions.
Alpine Clinches Pole Amidst Weather Chaos at Fuji Speedway
On Saturday afternoon, a fierce downpour descended upon Fuji Speedway, dramatically altering the landscape for the World Endurance Championship's Fuji 6 Hours event. Despite an uneventful final practice session conducted in wet conditions, a sudden intensification of rain moments before the scheduled qualifying rounds severely impaired visibility across the circuit.
The LMGT3 qualifying began precisely at 3 PM local time. However, mere sixty seconds into the session, a red flag was deployed after Francois Heriau, driving the #21 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, experienced a significant crash at Turn 2. Following this incident and with no immediate signs of weather improvement, race control made the crucial decision to cancel all remaining qualifying sessions for both the LMGT3 and Hypercar categories.
In adherence to the established sporting regulations, the starting grid for Sunday's highly anticipated race will now be based on the cumulative best lap times achieved across the three preceding practice sessions. A substantial portion of the competing teams had already logged their fastest times during FP2 on Friday afternoon, prior to the track becoming too saturated for dry-weather tires on Saturday.
This unforeseen turn of events places the Alpine team in a formidable starting position. Victor Martins, behind the wheel of the #36 A424, recorded an impressive time of 1 minute 29.304 seconds in FP2, thereby securing pole position for the WEC's Japan round. Harry Tincknell, initially second-fastest in the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie, will now commence the race from fourth place due to a two-place penalty incurred for a collision with the #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 during Saturday's FP3.
This adjustment promotes the #35 Alpine, piloted by Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg, to the second position, ensuring an all-Alpine front row. This marks a significant moment for the French manufacturer, echoing their triumph with the A424 LMDh at this very venue just a year prior. The #19 Genesis GMR-001, shared by Paul-Loup Chatin, Daniel Juncadella, and Mathieu Jaminet, will ascend to third place, marking the Hyundai Group brand's most favorable qualifying outcome to date.
The sister Genesis car, with its fastest practice lap set by Mathys Jaubert, will start in fifth, directly behind the penalized #007 Aston Martin. Both Aston Martin entries, including the #009 Valkyrie which posted the sixth-best practice time, are positioned advantageously. The #38 Jota Cadillac V-Series.R will occupy seventh place, followed by the #8 Toyota TR010. The top ten will be rounded out by the #93 Peugeot 9X8 and the #12 Cadillac.
Conversely, some front-runners in the championship standings will face a more challenging start. The #7 Toyota TR010 will line up in 13th position after Kamui Kobayashi was notably slower in practice, lagging over seven seconds behind the leading pace. BMW's strategy to conserve their cars during dry-weather practice, anticipating rain, has backfired with the cancellation of qualifying. The #20 BMW M Hybrid, which shares points leadership with the #7 Toyota, now finds itself at the very back of the Hypercar grid in 17th place. Ferrari, too, faces an arduous battle, with its top 499P entry starting in 11th.
In the LMGT3 class, pole position was awarded to the #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3, thanks to Ben Tuck's best time in FP2. Lin Hodenius secured second place in the #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes, while Hadrien David placed third in the #78 Lexus. The current points leader, the #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R, will begin its race from 10th in its class.
The cancellation of qualifying underscores the unpredictable nature of endurance racing and sets the stage for a compelling Fuji 6 Hours race, where strategic prowess and driver skill will be paramount in navigating the altered starting grid and potentially challenging race conditions.