Following the checkered flag in a hard-fought 6 Hours of Fuji, Toyota has once again asserted itself as the dominant team in this year's FIA WEC championship. Despite Japanese fans being treated to an exceptional one-two finish, the race proved to be a tougher challenge than expected for the two GR010 Hybrids.
Indeed, opposing their dominance was the Porsche 963 LMDh, driven by Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and André Lotterer, who led the race for the first two-thirds of the total duration. However, in the end, Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Josè Maria Lopez secured the victory, keeping the competition alive for the driver's title against their teammates Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa, who finished second at the finish line.
Despite overcast skies throughout the entire race, rain spared the drivers this time. Nevertheless, the action began intensely right from the start when nearly all the Hypercars arrived at the first turn in a tight pack. Vanthoor seized the opportunity, skillfully overtaking Conway and Buemi, with the latter lightly touched by Miguel Molina. Unfortunately, Michael Christensen was less fortunate, forced to return to the pits due to a puncture in the right rear wheel caused by contact with James Calado's Ferrari 499P.
The safety car was deployed after Luis Perez Companc's Ferrari spun at the first turn, fortunately without involving other GT cars. At the restart, Vanthoor stretched his lead thanks to the choice of fitting Medium tires, while the Ferraris and Toyotas all had Hard tires.
For the first time this season, the Porsche LMDh proved to be competitive, with Vanthoor delivering a masterful double stint before handing over the wheel to Estre, who managed the middle part of the race despite gearbox issues in his 963.
After being overtaken by the Ferraris, both Toyotas returned to challenge Estre's lead in the Team Penske outfit. Estre fought valiantly until the final lap of his stint when he was passed by the unleashed Hirakawa on the fourth hour. The battle then shifted within the Toyota team, with poleman Kobayashi securing victory over Hartley, who struggled with tire issues, crossing the finish line first. Lotterer completed an excellent performance for Porsche, finishing third.
For the first time this WEC season, no Ferrari reached the podium. They were excessively penalized by the Balance of Performance (BoP), displaying a slower pace compared to their rivals and even getting lapped. Excessive tire wear in the early stages of the race, exacerbated by the use of medium tires, contributed to their disadvantage. Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, and Molina finished fourth, ahead of their teammates Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Calado.
Despite a penalty for contact with an LMP2 car, the Jota team's Porsche managed to outperform both Peugeot 9X8s and finished sixth. The Peugeot LMH cars showed moments of competitiveness but still faced reliability issues with the hydraulic system. Despite electric problems slowing them down, Gianmaria Bruni, Neel Jani, and Harry Tincknell brought the Proton Competition Porsche to ninth place. Cadillac, on the other hand, had a disappointing race, requiring an extra pit stop due to a broken wheel hub.
In the LMP2 class, Louis Deletraz, Robert Kubica, and Rui Andrade claimed victory, solidifying their lead in the championship standings. After a fierce battle, the WRT team prevailed over the United Autosports squad consisting of Philip Hanson, Frederick Lubin, and Felipe Albuquerque, with the latter making a decisive pass at the end against Robin Frijns, who finished third, sharing the WRT Oreca with Sean Gelael and Ferdinand Habsburg.
Outside the podium, the other United Autosports car of Ben Hanley, Oliver Jarvis, and Joshua Pierson placed. It was a challenging race for the Inter Europol Competition, which came to Japan with the goal of closing the gap on the WRT Oreca but ultimately finished ninth in the LMP2 class, between the two LMP2s managed by Team Prema.
After a long drought, Ferrari secured a one-two finish in the LMGTE category. Despite a collision with Ben Keating's Corvette, the AF Corse crew of Davide Rigon, Francesco Castellacci, and Thomas Flohr claimed the top spot, followed by the Kessel Racing car of Takeshi Kimura, Scott Huffaker, and Toyota junior driver Ritomo Miyata.
After serving a penalty for the contact with Flohr's Ferrari 488, Keating handed over the wheel to Nicky Catsburg and Nicolas Varrone, who secured the third step of the podium. The Iron Dames, who had dominated the early part of the race, had to settle for fourth place. Porsche factory driver Matteo Cairoli played a key role in guiding his teammates, Gunnar Jannette and PJ Hyet, to fifth place in the LMGTE class.
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