Fuji 6 Hours: torrential rain forces Qualifying cancellation
Torrential Rain Forces Qualifying Cancellation at Fuji 6 Hours
The World Endurance Championship has seen its qualifying session for the Fuji 6 Hours cancelled following a sudden onslaught of torrential rain on Saturday afternoon. The weather intervention has significantly disrupted the weekend's schedule, shifting the strategic focus from pure qualifying pace to practice session performance.
Grid Determined by Practice Times
With the session abandoned, race control has invoked sporting regulations to determine Sunday's starting order based on the combined times from the three practice sessions. This decision places immense pressure on the performance demonstrated during Friday and early Saturday morning, as the wet conditions made slick-tyre running impossible.
In the Hypercar class, Alpine will start from pole position. Victor Martins secured the top spot using the #36 A424, posting a 1m29.304s during FP2. The grid undergoes a reshuffle following a penalty for the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie; despite finishing second-fastest in the 90-minute session, Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble will drop to fourth after an incident in FP3 involving the #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
This penalty elevates the #35 Alpine to second on the grid. Further down the front row, the #19 Genesis GMR-001 will secure third, marking a significant milestone for the Hyundai Group brand.
Strategic Challenges for Title Contenders
The cancellation brings significant challenges for championship leaders. The #7 Toyota TR010, a key player in the title fight, will start from 13th after Kamui Kobayashi struggled with the pace in practice. Similarly, the #20 BMW M Hybridâcurrently equal on points with the #7 Toyotaâfinds itself in 17th. BMW's decision to avoid low-fuel runs during Friday's dry session, anticipating rain, has left them at the back of the Hypercar field.
As teams prepare for the race, the 6 Hours of Fuji presents unique technical challenges and tyre strategy questions due to the volatile weather. Ferrari also faces a difficult task, with their leading 499P lining up in 11th.
LMGT3 Class Overview
In the LMGT3 category, the #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3 claims pole position following Ben Tuck's performance in FP2. The #79 Iron Lynx Mercedes and the #78 Lexus follow in second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the championship-leading #33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R will begin its campaign from 10th on the grid.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.