Alpine leads Fuji practice by 0.039 seconds from the Aston Martin Valkyrie

The number 36 Alpine of Jules Gounon and Victor Martins set the fastest time of Friday at the 6 Hours of Fuji, a 1:29.304 in second practice. The number 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble was only 0.039 seconds slower. Toyota had topped the first session with the number 8, but in the afternoon both Toyotas and both championship-leading crews were well down the order.

The two crews level on 75 points stayed in the background

The drivers’ championship arrived at Fuji tied: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries in the number 7 Toyota, and Robin Frijns and René Rast in the number 20 BMW, both on 75 points after a hydraulic failure cost Toyota victory at COTA with eleven minutes to go.

On Friday neither car showed much. The number 7 Toyota was eighth in first practice and 13th in second practice. The number 20 BMW, which Frijns and Rast share with Sheldon van der Linde, was 12th in the morning and last of the 17 Hypercars in the afternoon, 1.058 seconds off the Alpine. The two BMWs did complete 54 laps in both sessions, more than any other car. Practice times say little about fuel loads and run plans, so the real order will not show until qualifying.

The Valkyrie runs second without a hybrid

The result that stands out is the Aston Martin. The Valkyrie, the only Hypercar in the field without a hybrid system, was seventh in first practice and second in the afternoon, and its sister car, the number 009 of Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen, was sixth. It is the same car Fernando Alonso has been linked with for 2027, and it is still chasing its first podium after two fourth places this season.

The Genesis GMR-001s were fourth and fifth in second practice, with Mathieu Jaminet, Paul-Loup Chatin and Daniel Juncadella in the faster number 19.

Proton leads LMGT3 after a Garage 59 one-two in the morning

In LMGT3 the two Garage 59 McLarens were first and second in first practice, the number 58 of Alexander West, Finn Gehrsitz and Benjamin Goethe ahead of the number 10 by 0.043 seconds. In the afternoon the number 77 Proton Ford Mustang of Eric Powell, Ben Tuck and Sebastian Priaulx was fastest in 1:39.828, 0.045 seconds ahead of the number 79 Iron Lynx Mercedes shared by Johannes Zelger, Matteo Cressoni and the Dutch driver Lin Hodenius. Nicky Catsburg’s number 33 TF Sport Corvette was eighth in class in the afternoon.

Second practice: Hypercar

Second practice: LMGT3

First practice: Hypercar

First practice: LMGT3

Gaps are to the fastest car in the class. Source: FIA WEC official classifications. First practice ran in dry conditions with a track temperature of 37.2 degrees.

Our caution: Friday does not decide Fuji

We would not read too much into the Alpine and Aston Martin times yet. Practice classifications say nothing about fuel loads or tyre plans, the two BMWs completed more laps than anyone, and the crews fighting for the title had little reason to show their hand on Friday. Saturday’s Hyperpole is the first session where everyone has to go for a time.

What is next at Fuji

Third practice starts on Saturday at 02:30 CEST, followed by qualifying and Hyperpole for both classes at 07:00 CEST. The six-hour race starts on Sunday at 04:00 CEST and finishes at 10:00 CEST. New to the Hypercar rules? Our explainer covers how the Hypercar class works.