Toyota will return to its home circuit at Fuji with a nine-point advantage over BMW in the FIA World Endurance Championship manufacturers’ standings, after a late hydraulic problem denied the Japanese marque victory at Circuit of the Americas.
The 6 Hours of Fuji, round six of the 2026 season, runs from 25 to 27 September. The Hypercar championship arrives in Japan closely balanced, with Toyota drivers Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries level on points at the top of the drivers’ classification with BMW pair Robin Frijns and René Rast.
Ferrari, the reigning world champion, also strengthened its position with victory in Texas after Toyota and BMW both missed the opportunity to score heavily. FIA WEC said Ferrari’s win had brought it back into a developing three-way title contest.
Toyota will aim to use its strong Fuji record to respond after the disappointment in Austin. A hydraulic issue barely 10 minutes from the end denied Toyota victory at COTA, leaving the championship margins at the front narrow.
Fuji offers Toyota a strong record, but no guarantee
Fuji Speedway has been a productive venue for Toyota, which has won the event nine times. Its latest success there, however, came in 2023, so the record does not make Toyota the most recent winner at the circuit.
The manufacturer has further encouragement from the early form of its TR010 Hybrid. The car has won at Imola and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in its first competitive campaign. FIA WEC also said each new Toyota model had won on its Fuji debut, a sequence the team will seek to continue with the TR010 Hybrid.
According to FIA WEC, Toyota’s nine wins represent a 75 per cent strike rate at Fuji. The series said the TS030 Hybrid won on its first appearance at the track in 2012, followed by the TS040 Hybrid in 2014, the TS050 Hybrid in 2016 and the GR010 Hybrid in 2022. That record offers useful home-event context, but it does not settle the outcome of a championship round in which the leading manufacturers remain closely matched.
Fuji has appeared on the FIA WEC calendar 12 times since the championship began in 2012, according to the series, making it its fourth most-visited circuit. The venue was originally conceived as a fully banked superspeedway before being converted to its present layout. That history forms part of the distinctive setting for a round in which Toyota’s home advantage will be tested against a tightly packed championship field.
The 4.563km, 16-turn circuit presents a distinctive challenge. Although it is the second-shortest lap on the championship calendar, Fuji includes a 1.475km main straight, where FIA WEC said cars can exceed 330km/h. Track position has not necessarily decided recent races: no class winner started within the first three rows in 2025, while neither the 2024 nor 2025 pole-sitter finished on the podium.
That recent unpredictability gives additional weight to Toyota’s need for reliability and race execution rather than treating its previous victories as a decisive advantage. It also leaves BMW with cause for confidence despite its difficult weekend at COTA.
BMW and Ferrari remain central to the title contest
BMW’s M Hybrid V8 had previously won in Belgium and Brazil before lacking pace in Texas. Fuji produced a significant result for the M Hybrid V8 in its maiden appearance there in 2024, when it qualified third and finished second. That runner-up finish was BMW’s first top-tier FIA WEC podium.
Frijns and Rast consequently arrive tied at the head of the drivers’ standings with Toyota’s Conway, Kobayashi and de Vries, while BMW trail Toyota by only nine points among manufacturers. A strong Fuji result could change the order at the top of the standings.
Ferrari’s COTA victory adds another competitive consideration. The 499P has not yet reached the podium in three appearances at Fuji, making Japan the only current venue where the model has not finished in the top three. Ferrari arrives after a runner-up finish in São Paulo and victory in Texas, which FIA WEC said had brought it back into the title mix.
Free practice begins on Friday, 25 September. Qualifying and Hyperpole are scheduled for Saturday, 26 September, before the six-hour race starts at 11:00 local time on Sunday, 27 September.