FIA WEC – Big in Japan: Porsche trio put one hand on Drivers’ crown at Fuji

Porsche Penske Motorsport trio André Lotterer, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor took a significant step closer to title glory in the FIA World Endurance Championship today, by securing an impressive second victory of the season in the 6 Hours of Fuji.

In front of 68,500 fans around the legendary Japanese circuit, the penultimate round of the campaign was as absorbing as it was unpredictable. From fifth on the grid, the race-winning #6 Porsche 963 Hypercar was a contender from the outset, with Vanthoor displacing both Toyotas in the opening laps before piling the pressure on Marco Wittmann in the second-placed BMW M Hybrid V8.

During the first round of pit visits, the Porsche then leapfrogged the BMW and the Cadillac Racing V-Series.R – which had led the first 42 laps from pole position – to seize the initiative. Pit-stop cycles and an inspired Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari 499P aside, it was an advantage the #6 car would not subsequently relinquish.

Artfully managing several safety car periods and exploiting an alternative strategy to the majority of the 18-strong Hypercar field, the Porsche crew always looked the most likely to win, with Lotterer getting the better of Nielsen’s Ferrari mid-race, and Estre surviving both a lunge from a lapped Ryo Hirakawa and a slippery brake pedal that sent him deep into Turn One in the final hour to stay in front.

The trio’s fifth podium finish of 2024 extended their margin at the summit of the standings to 35 points with only 39 remaining in play. That means just an eighth-place finish in Bahrain – irrespective of any other result – will be sufficient to seal the deal.

Their cause was aided by a disappointing day for championship rivals Toyota and Ferrari. Following a quiet start, the #7 Toyota GR010 – Hybrid of home hero Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries at one stage appeared to be hauling itself into the reckoning, particularly in the hands of rapid Dutchman de Vries, but a clash between Kobayashi and Matt Campbell in the #5 Porsche on lap 163 put both cars out on the spot and spelt the end of the Toyota drivers’ title ambitions.

The #8 Japanese machine was similarly in the mix for the rostrum, but a late drive-through penalty for Hirakawa’s contretemps with Estre dropped that car down the order, meaning there was no Toyota on the podium at Fuji for the first time since 2015.

Despite Nielsen’s race-leading heroics on distinctly worn tyres, the #50 499P could ultimately finish no better than ninth. While still mathematically in contention, the Dane and team-mates Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina now need a minor miracle to steal the crown from Porsche’s grasp.

Having scored just six points all season arriving in Japan, the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry piloted by Wittmann, Raffaelle Marciello and Dries Vanthoor featured up at the sharp end throughout and deservedly scooped the runner-up spoils following a strong run, marking only the second time in history that two brothers have finished on the same WEC podium.

There was a battle royale for the bottom step of the rostrum, but the penalty for the #50 Ferrari and a similar offence by the #35 Alpine – with Charles Milesi hitting an LMGT3 car after a stellar run during which the Frenchman set the race’s fastest lap – ruled both out of the reckoning, and the Cadillac fell victim to a number of errors.

That opened the door for the #36 Alpine to take third place, with Mick Schumacher producing a superb final stint to overhaul both Oliver Rasmussen and Noman Nato. There was, however, still cause for celebration for Hertz Team JOTA, as the British outfit clinched the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams.

The 2024 WEC campaign will conclude with the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain on 31 October – 2 November.