Alpine claimed a dramatic victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji, the 100th race in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s modern era, after a chaotic and strategy-laden contest at the foot of Mount Fuji. The race, held on 28 September 2025, was defined by multiple safety car periods, strategic gambles, and a late tyre call that propelled the #35 Alpine A424 to its first WEC win since 2022.
LMH: Alpine’s Masterstroke
The Hypercar battle was a masterclass in endurance racing unpredictability. The #35 Alpine Endurance Team, driven by Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Charles Milesi, secured a maiden victory for the driver trio and the marque’s first WEC win with its A424 LMDh. Starting from a lowly grid position, the all-Gold-rated crew executed a flawless race, capitalizing on the race’s three safety cars and five Full Course Yellows.
The decisive moment came during the final pit stop cycle. While the leading #93 Peugeot 9X8 and the second-placed #6 Porsche 963 opted for a full set of four new tyres, the Alpine crew made the bold call to fit only two. This gamble paid off, allowing Milesi to exit the pits with a clear track and a near 8-second lead over the Peugeot. He managed his advantage over the final hour, crossing the line 7.682 seconds ahead of the #93 Peugeot of Mikkel Jensen, Paul di Resta, and Jean-Éric Vergne. The #6 Porsche 963 of Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell completed the podium, despite a five-second penalty for a pit-stop infringement.
The result was a disaster for the factory teams. Toyota Gazoo Racing, competing on home soil, endured a frustrating race. The #7 GR010 HYBRID of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries fought back to finish seventh after an early incident, while the #8 car of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa was hit on the opening lap, received a three-minute stop-go penalty, and ultimately finished 16th, two laps down. Cadillac Hertz Team Jota showed strong pace but was repeatedly caught out by the safety car periods, with the #12 car finishing sixth and the #38 car one lap down in 13th
GT: Corvette Capitalizes on Ferrari’s Misfortune
The LMGT3 class was equally dramatic, culminating in a last-lap heartbreak for the #21 Ferrari 296 LMGT3. The Vista AF Corse entry, driven by François Heriau, Sean Mann, and Alessio Rovera, had fought back to the front after an early spin, appearing poised for victory. However, a five-second time penalty for a pit-stop infringement, applied post-race, demoted them to second place
This handed the win to the #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of Timothé Buret, Reema Juffali, and Charlie Eastwood, who crossed the line just 3.010 seconds behind the Ferrari. The #31 The Bend Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 of Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, and Augusto Farfus completed the podium. The championship lead remains with the #92 Manthey 1ST Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R crew of Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera, and Richard Lietz, who finished fifth after a strategically disadvantageous safety car phase cost them a potential podium. The Iron Dames’ #85 Porsche, which had led earlier in the race, finished 13th after a similar strategic setback.
The 100th Race: A Fitting Spectacle
The 6 Hours of Fuji, marking the 100th race since the WEC’s inception in 2012, delivered a fitting spectacle of endurance racing’s unique drama. With the championship still wide open heading into the season finale in Bahrain, the race at Fuji proved once again that in endurance racing, strategy, reliability, and a touch of fortune are as crucial as outright pace.
