The 2026 6 Hours of Fuji entry list confirms the WEC field for Japan, with practice starting September 25 before the six-hour race on September 27.
The 2026 6 Hours of Fuji entry list was released on September 16, confirming the field for the next FIA World Endurance Championship round. Attention now moves from Austin’s late drama to Japan, where track action begins September 25. Qualifying follows one day later, and the six-hour race starts at 11:00 on September 27.
There is little breathing room before Fuji. Ferrari won at COTA after Toyota suffered a late hydraulic failure, with Cadillac and Alpine joining the winning crew on the Hypercar podium. The entry list confirms the roster for WEC’s next direct fight between manufacturers.
Fuji timetable puts qualifying in focus
Free Practice 1 opens the meeting at 10:15 on Friday, September 25. Free Practice 2 follows at 14:30, giving teams two opening-day sessions to work through setup and tire programs at Fuji Speedway.
Saturday starts with Free Practice 3 at 09:50. Competition begins later that afternoon, as LMGT3 qualifying gets underway at 14:20 before LMGT3 Hyperpole at 14:40.
Hypercar qualifying starts at 15:00.
The fastest Hypercar runners advance to Hyperpole at 15:20, which will set the front of the grid for Sunday’s 11:00 start. Ferrari heads into the session as one of the season’s repeat pole winners after the No. 51 499P topped qualifying at Imola and COTA.
Ferrari brings the latest winning form
Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen won the COTA round in the No. 50 Ferrari, collecting 25 points. Cadillac’s Earl Bamber, Sébastien Bourdais and Jack Aitken finished second for 18, while António Félix da Costa, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg earned 15 points in third.
Toyota had led until a hydraulic failure struck late in the race. The team called the ending “brutal” and labeled COTA a “missed opportunity.”
Ferrari had already shown its qualifying pace. Antonio Giovinazzi took his fifth WEC pole position in Austin after Ferrari and Cadillac set identical times. Just 0.050 seconds covered the top four cars in Hyperpole, showing how close the battle for track position has become.
The next qualifying comparison comes at Fuji on September 26. After its Imola and COTA successes, the No. 51 Ferrari can become the first Hypercar in the supplied season record to claim a third pole.
Toyota faces immediate work
Toyota endured two separate setbacks during the Austin weekend. The No. 7 lost a prospective victory because of the late hydraulic problem, while a pit stop under the virtual safety car dropped the No. 8 to 14th.
Sébastien Buemi made up eight positions in the final hour and returned the No. 8 to sixth. The recovery secured a finish, but it couldn’t wipe out the cost of the earlier stop or the sister car’s retirement.
Toyota returns to the track at Fuji 19 days after the September 6 COTA race. Friday’s two practice sessions provide the weekend’s first official running, with final practice following at 09:50 on Saturday morning.
Aston Martin arrives after Austin progress
Aston Martin travels to Japan after drawing “considerable satisfaction” from a podium-challenging Hypercar run at COTA. Its Fuji entry offers the program another chance to turn that pace into a complete six-hour result.
The manufacturer also brings a clear LMGT3 qualifying benchmark. The No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin secured class pole in Brazil and again at COTA, matching the No. 51 Ferrari’s two-pole record in their respective categories.
The next attempt begins at 14:20 on September 26, followed by LMGT3 Hyperpole 20 minutes later.
Calendar discrepancy follows Fuji
The championship’s official calendar places Barcelona on October 18 and an Italian round on November 8 after Fuji. However, a separate published event listing has Barcelona running from October 15 to 18, followed by Losail from October 22 to 24.
With those post-Fuji listings in conflict, the official championship calendar stands as the confirmed schedule: Spain on October 18, followed by Italy on November 8.
Before those events, every confirmed Fuji entrant faces three practice sessions and qualifying. The first cars leave the garage for Free Practice 1 at 10:15 on September 25.
