Alpine wins at Fuji with risky tire strategy in the 2025 WEC 6 Hours of Fuji

Charles Milesi crossed the finish line with a 7.6-second lead over the Peugeot of Mikkel Jensen to give Alpine its first victory with the A424 LMDh at the 6 Hours of Fuji Speedway. The French trio in the #35 team completed 202 laps in front of 66,400 spectators at the 100th race in the history of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The key to the victory was the final strategy: Alpine opted to change only the left-side tires during its final pit stop, while Peugeot and Porsche replaced the full set. This decision allowed Milesi to exit the pit lane in the lead with an eight-second advantage that he managed to maintain until the checkered flag.

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Habsburg Wins at Same Circuit as His Previous WEC Victory

Ferdinand Habsburg experienced a special moment by winning at the same circuit where he had achieved his previous WEC victory. "Having this trophy has been in my dreams for quite a long time," confessed a visibly emotional Habsburg. "It's the coolest thing to win a race with two of your best friends in the pit lane. Charles and Paul-Loup are not only some of the best drivers, but also the best people I know."

Habsburg recalled the difficulties of the previous year: "For me it's been a long road from breaking my back last year, missing races and struggling to get back up to speed. They have motivated me so much through my own mistakes and moments where I wasn't doing well."

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Marciello's Accident Benefits Alpine's Pit Stop

The Alpine #35 didn't look like a victory contender for much of the race. Habsburg received an early penalty for hitting the rear of the Toyota #8, which also resulted in a front end change during the first pit stops. Alpine capitalized when Paul-Loup Chatin entered the pit lane seconds before the second full course yellow was declared with two and a half hours remaining. This caution was caused by the heavy crash of Raffaele Marciello, who collided after encountering the Porsche from Proton Competition, requiring barrier repairs.

This stop proved crucial because Alpine completed its service while most Hypercars were circulating at just 80 km/h, and then the caution turned into a safety car. Chatin ran second behind the Peugeot when the race resumed, although he lost ground to Kévin Estre in the Porsche as the final pit stops approached. A third safety car, caused by the collision between Tom Gamble (#007 Aston Martin) and the Aston Martin #27 from Heart of Racing Team, mixed up the positions again in the final stretch of the race. The accident forced the #007 to retire on lap 113, while the #27 managed to continue to complete 184 laps despite the damage.

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Ferrari #51 Finishes Fifteenth and Fails to Seal Championship

Ferrari arrived at Fuji as the leader in both the manufacturers' and drivers' standings, but had a day to forget. The Ferrari #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi sustained damage from contact with the Porsche from Proton Competition, received two penalties for exceeding track limits, and finished fifteenth with just one point.

Porsche's points keep the manufacturers' fight open until Bahrain in November. Ferrari will have to wait one more race to attempt its first world championship title in the Hypercar era.

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Peugeot Achieves Its Best Individual Result in Hypercar Era

The Peugeot #93 of Jensen, Paul di Resta, and Jean-Éric Vergne achieved the best individual result for the French brand in the current Hypercar era. After placing both cars in the points at Austin for the first time in months (3rd and 4th), Peugeot improved at Fuji with this second place for the #93 and fifth for the #94. Jensen maintained second position during the final stages with Laurens Vanthoor in the Porsche #6 constantly pressuring from behind.

Vanthoor crossed the finish line in third position, just half a second behind the Peugeot, after receiving a five-second penalty for a pit lane infringement that relegated him from second place. The second Porsche from Penske, with Mathieu Jaminet and Julien Andlauer, completed the top four.

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Cadillac Dominates Early Hours But Fades

The Cadillacs from Hertz Team JOTA dominated the early hours with Will Stevens leading followed by Sébastien Bourdais in the sister car. However, they lost their clear advantage with the first safety car at the end of the first hour and subsequently faded from the victory battle. The #12 of Alex Lynn, Stevens, and Norman Nato finished seventh, while the #38 placed thirteenth.

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VISTA AF Corse Loses Second Consecutive Victory Due to Penalties

In the LMGT3 category, the Corvette #81 from TF Sport took victory when Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade, and Tom van Rompuy benefited from a five-second penalty applied to the Ferrari #21 from VISTA AF Corse. For the second consecutive race, the Ferrari from VISTA AF Corse won on track but lost the victory due to a post-race penalty. Eastwood crossed the finish line two seconds behind Alessio Rovera, but the Ferrari's penalty for a pit lane infringement gave him first place.

"For a long time, I had no idea what was going on," joked Eastwood. "Half the grid was on split strategy and at one point we were seventh, but we kept closing in on the front. We knew we could go further on fuel but that it was going to be very tight."

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Alpine's victory marks the fourth different manufacturer to win consecutive races in 2025: Ferrari at Le Mans, Cadillac at São Paulo, Porsche at COTA, and now Alpine at Fuji. The championship will be decided on November 6-8 at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, where four teams remain in contention for the drivers' title.

Full Results Table - 6 Hours of Fuji WEC 2025