News Summary
- Qualifying for the 6 Hours of Fuji was cancelled because of heavy rain
- The #36 Alpine secured pole through the combined practice classification
- The race starts at 03:00 BST on Sunday and 22:00 ET on Saturday
Qualifying for the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji was cancelled on Saturday after a severe rainstorm made conditions unsafe at the Japanese circuit.
The LMGT3 field initially ventured onto the track, but François Heriau aquaplaned in the #21 AF Corse Ferrari while exiting Turn 1 and crashed heavily at Turn 2. Heriau climbed out unharmed, but the accident caused an immediate red flag.
With the weather continuing to deteriorate, race control confirmed that neither the LMGT3 session nor Hypercar qualifying would resume.
Under the championship regulations, the starting grid will instead be determined by the fastest times recorded across the three free-practice sessions.
That decision puts the #36 Alpine A424 of Jules Gounon and Victor Martins on pole after Martins set a 1min29.304sec lap during FP2. It represents the Alpine A424’s first pole start in the World Endurance Championship.
The sister #35 Alpine driven by Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi completes the front row, while the #19 Genesis shared by Daniel Juncadella, Mathieu Jaminet and Paul-Loup Chatin starts third.
Pipo Derani will begin the race from fifth in the #17 Genesis alongside André Lotterer and Mathys Jaubert.
Ford takes LMGT3 pole after Ferrari crash
In LMGT3, the #77 Ford Mustang will start from pole after Eric Powell, Ben Tuck and Sebastian Priaulx recorded a 1min39.828sec lap during practice.
The Ford finished only 0.045sec ahead of the #79 Mercedes, while the #78 Lexus secured third place.
Augusto Farfus starts 14th in the #32 BMW, one position ahead of Eduardo Barrichello’s #23 Aston Martin.
The decision avoided exposing the drivers to further aquaplaning as standing water accumulated around Fuji Speedway.
The 6 Hours of Fuji begins at 03:00 BST on Sunday, corresponding to 22:00 ET and 19:00 PT on Saturday. The start is scheduled for 07:30 IST and 12:00 AEST on Sunday.
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji — Hypercar starting grid
| Pos. | Car | Drivers | Team | Time | Gap | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #36 | V. MARTINS J. GOUNON | Alpine | 1:29.304 | — | — |
| 2 | #35 | F. HABSBURG C. MILESI | Alpine | 1:29.397 | +0.093 | — |
| 3 | #19 | M. JAMINET P.L. CHATIN D. JUNCADELLA | Genesis | 1:29.492 | +0.188 | — |
| 4 | #007 | H. TINCKNELL T. GAMBLE | Aston Martin | 1:29.343 | +0.039 | +2 |
| 5 | #17 | A. LOTTERER P. DERANI M. JAUBERT | Genesis | 1:29.558 | +0.254 | — |
| 6 | #009 | A. RIBERAS M. SØRENSEN | Aston Martin | 1:29.576 | +0.272 | — |
| 7 | #38 | E. BAMBER S. BOURDAIS J. AITKEN | Cadillac JOTA | 1:29.617 | +0.313 | — |
| 8 | #8 | S. BUEMI B. HARTLEY R. HIRAKAWA | Toyota | 1:29.694 | +0.390 | — |
| 9 | #93 | N. CASSIDY P. DI RESTA S. VANDOORNE | Peugeot | 1:29.884 | +0.580 | — |
| 10 | #12 | W. STEVENS N. NATO | Cadillac JOTA | 1:29.888 | +0.584 | — |
| 11 | #50 | A. FUOCO M. MOLINA N. NIELSEN | Ferrari | 1:29.989 | +0.685 | — |
| 12 | #83 | R. KUBICA P. HANSON Y. YE | AF Corse | 1:30.036 | +0.732 | — |
| 13 | #7 | M. CONWAY K. KOBAYASHI N. DE VRIES | Toyota | 1:30.101 | +0.797 | — |
| 14 | #15 | K. MAGNUSSEN R. MARCIELLO D. VANTHOOR | BMW | 1:30.149 | +0.845 | — |
| 15 | #94 | L. DUVAL M. JAKOBSEN T. POURCHAIRE | Peugeot | 1:30.205 | +0.901 | — |
| 16 | #51 | A. PIER GUIDI J. CALADO A. GIOVINAZZI | Ferrari | 1:30.334 | +1.030 | — |
| 17 | #20 | R. FRIJNS R. RAST S. VAN DER LINDE | BMW | 1:30.362 | +1.058 | — |
2026 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji — LMGT3 starting grid
| Pos. | Car | Drivers | Team/Manufacturer | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #77 | E. POWELL B. TUCK S. PRIAULX | Proton Competition/Ford | 1:39.828 | — |
| 2 | #79 | J. ZELGER M. CRESSONI L. HODENIUS | Iron Lynx/Mercedes | 1:39.873 | +0.045 |
| 3 | #78 | T. VAN ROMPUY H. DAVID E. MASSON | Akkodis ASP/Lexus | 1:39.933 | +0.105 |
| 4 | #58 | A. WEST F. GEHRSITZ B. GOETHE | Garage 59/McLaren | 1:40.214 | +0.386 |
| 5 | #61 | M. BERRY R. ANDRADE M. MARTIN | Iron Lynx/Mercedes | 1:40.229 | +0.401 |
| 6 | #10 | A. AU T. FLEMING M. KIRCHHÖFER | Garage 59/McLaren | 1:40.257 | +0.429 |
| 7 | #87 | R. UMBRĂRESCU C. SCHMID J.M. LÓPEZ | Akkodis ASP/Lexus | 1:40.329 | +0.501 |
| 8 | #34 | P. DEMPSEY S. YOLUÇ C. EASTWOOD | Racing Team Turkey/Corvette | 1:40.375 | +0.547 |
| 9 | #21 | F. HÉRIAU S. MANN A. ROVERA | Vista AF Corse/Ferrari | 1:40.419 | +0.591 |
| 10 | #33 | B. KEATING J. EDGAR N. CATSBURG | TF Sport/Corvette | 1:40.556 | +0.728 |
| 11 | #54 | T. FLOHR F. CASTELLACCI D. RIGON | Vista AF Corse/Ferrari | 1:40.560 | +0.732 |
| 12 | #88 | S. GATTUSO G. LEVORATO L. SARGEANT | Proton Competition/Ford | 1:40.588 | +0.760 |
| 13 | #69 | A. MCINTOSH P. THOMPSON D. HARPER | Team WRT/BMW | 1:40.601 | +0.773 |
| 14 | #32 | D. LEUNG S. GELAEL A. FARFUS | Team WRT/BMW | 1:40.617 | +0.789 |
| 15 | #23 | G. NEWELL E. BARRICHELLO J. ADAM | Heart of Racing/Aston Martin | 1:40.682 | +0.854 |
| 16 | #27 | I. JAMES Z. ROBICHON M. DRUDI | Heart of Racing/Aston Martin | 1:40.693 | +0.865 |
| 17 | #92 | Y. SHAHIN R. PERA R. LIETZ | Manthey/Porsche | 1:40.844 | +1.016 |
| 18 | #91 | J. COTTINGHAM T. BOGUSLAVSKIY A. GÜVEN | Manthey DK Engineering/Porsche | 1:41.137 | +1.309 |
WEC, IMSA and endurance: FAQ
What time does the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji start?
The race starts on Sunday at 11:00 JST, equivalent to 03:00 UK, 22:00 ET Saturday, 07:30 India, 12:00 Australia and 15:00 New Zealand.
How can I watch the 6 Hours of Fuji?
The race is available through FIAWEC+, with additional coverage offered by regional WEC broadcast partners.
Who was fastest in practice for the 6 Hours of Fuji?
The #8 Toyota led FP1 with Ryō Hirakawa’s 1:29.694, before Victor Martins put the #36 Alpine on top of FP2 with a 1:29.304.
Why was WEC qualifying at Fuji cancelled?
Qualifying was abandoned because heavy rain created dangerous levels of standing water and aquaplaning. The decision followed François Heriau’s crash in the #21 Ferrari.
Who starts the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji from pole?
The #36 Alpine driven by Jules Gounon and Victor Martins starts from pole after setting the fastest time across the three practice sessions.
