The Fuji 6 Hours ended with the official Ferrari – AF Corse 499Ps in 11th and 15th place overall, for the crews number 50 and 51 respectively of Antonio Fuoco-Miguel Molina-Nicklas Nielsen, and Alessandro Pier Guidi-James Calado-Antonio Giovinazzi.
The AF Corse privateer 499P, entrusted to Prancing Horse official driver Yifei Ye together with Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson, crossed the line in 10th place.
The Japanese leg, the penultimate round of the 2025 FIA WEC, proved extremely challenging for the Maranello manufacturer’s Hypercars, as expected on the eve of the race. Nevertheless, Ferrari remain leader in the World Manufacturers’ Championship, while Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi still top the drivers’ standings.
The world titles will therefore be assigned in the season-closing round in Bahrain, with the 8 Hours scheduled for Saturday, 8 November.
The race. Starting from sixth and 15th on the grid with Giovinazzi and Nielsen at the wheel, the two red-liveried 499Ps enjoyed a fine start thanks to a strategy devised by the team, enabling crews number 51 and 50 to climb as high as third and eighth respectively.
Several neutralisations caused by incidents – the first an off-track excursion of a rival Hypercar shortly after the opening hour, which resulted in damage to the right side of the number 83 499P, forcing the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours winners into an uphill battle – repeatedly broke up the race, allowing the field to regroup.
In an attempt to maximise the potential of the 499Ps available at Fuji, in a race that forced the Ferraris to constantly search for their limit, a drive-through and a stop-and-go – for exceeding the number of track limits – ultimately compromised the comeback of crew number 51, while their teammates in number 50 – who made only 4 pit stops, in an attempt to make the most of the tyres by reducing stops – battled on, finishing just outside the points.
The standings. Ferrari remain at the top of the World Manufacturers’ Championship with 204 points, 39 points clear of their closest pursuer. In the drivers’ standings, Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi lead on 115 points; Ye-Kubica-Hanson lie second on 101, while Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen are fifth on 75 points.