Ferrari caught off guard by late-race strategies at 2025 Fuji endurance. Alpine #35 wins the 2025 6 Hours of Fuji.

Alpine #35 secures victory with perfect late-race stint

In a tense and spectacular 6 Hours of Fuji, the Alpine #35 claimed overall victory, with Nicolas Milesi delivering a near-perfect final stint. Finishing behind were the Peugeot #93 of Jensen and the Porsche #6 of Vanthoor.

From the very start, the race proved highly competitive and tense. Cadillac managed the early stages expertly, benefiting from clear air and the ability to control the pace. Prior to Marciello’s incident, which triggered a safety car and disrupted the standings, the #51 of Antonio Giovinazzi was performing particularly well, posting the fastest lap times of the field at the end of its stint. Throughout the race, the 499P Cadillacs struggled to maintain pace after safety car restarts, whereas the Porsche consistently delivered competitive lap times immediately.

Ferrari’s strength lay in tyre management, but subsequent safety car periods following the #15’s exit negated this advantage. Misfortune compounded their issues, as the #51 found itself at the back of the field after pitting just before the safety car deployment. The race effectively became a lottery, with positions constantly shuffled. The final safety car disadvantaged Pier Guidi in energy management, allowing Estre in the #6 Porsche to push to the maximum and climb back up the field.

The same misfortune affected the two Cadillac entries, which, after controlling the early stages, dropped to the fringes of the top 15. Ultimately, after its final pit stop, the Alpine #35 secured first place, ahead of the Peugeot #93 and Porsche #6.

LMGT3: TF Sport Corvette #81 takes victory in dramatic finish

In the LMGT3 class, the win went to the #81 Corvette of TF Sport after a penalty was applied to the #21 Ferrari, which had crossed the line first.

Ferrari faced a disastrous start, with the #21 being hit twice, prompting the teams to place professional drivers Alessio Rovera and Rigon into their respective cars. From that point, Vista AF Corse turned the race around. Taking advantage of safety car periods, Rovera executed multiple overtakes to move to the front of the field. BMW, Corvette, and Ford also capitalized on the neutralizations to climb back into the top positions. Ultimately, the race was decided by internal energy management, with strategic deployment of power determining the final results.