Porsche trio nears Hypercar drivers' title, PureRxcing claims LMGT3 title

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: WEC, Porsche

Porsche Penske Motorsport took a significant step toward the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship title with a commanding victory at Fuji Speedway. Laurens Vanthoor, André Lotterer, and Kévin Estre steered the #6 Porsche 963 to their second win of the season, securing a 35-point lead in the standings with just one race remaining. The trio became the first entry this season to win its second race. In LMGT3, AF Corse secured its first win of the season and the first win for the Ferrari 296 GT3 in WEC.

Hypercar

From the outset, the six-hour race was a rollercoaster of strategy and drama. The pole-sitting #2 Cadillac led the first 42 laps, but Porsche's carefully calculated strategy and good race pace pushed the #6 to the front. Vanthoor’s early charge saw him overtake both Toyotas, after which Lotterer kept the Porsche in contention for the lead. During the pit stop cycles, Porsche’s superior timing allowed them to leapfrog both Cadillac and BMW, cementing their control of the race.

Despite a few late-race threats, including a battle with Ferrari’s Nicklas Nielsen and a brush with the lapped Toyota of Hirakawa, Kévin Estre brought the Porsche home to victory, finishing 11 seconds clear of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Marco Wittmann, Dries Vanthoor, and Raffaele Marciello. This result is especially significant, as Porsche now needs only an eighth-place finish in the season finale at Bahrain to claim the championship.

BMW, meanwhile, celebrated their best result of the season, finishing second after a flawless performance. Their #15 M Hybrid V8 was consistently competitive, and the team capitalized on errors by their rivals to secure a strong result, their first podium of 2024.

Alpine also impressed at Fuji, with their #36 A424 Hypercar claiming third place after a late surge. Mick Schumacher drove a brilliant final stint, overtaking several competitors, including Oliver Rasmussen in the #35 Alpine and Norman Nato in the #12 JOTA Porsche, to secure Alpine’s second podium of the year.

An encouraging result as well for Peugeot, as Mikkel Jensen in the #93 was on of the fastest cars on track in the late stages of the race. After climbing past both JOTA's, the young Dane just missed out on the podium. Nevertheless, this was Peugeot's most competitive performance this season.

Toyota, however, had a disappointing home race. The #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, and José María López, retired after a collision with the #5 Porsche in the third hour. The incident dashed Toyota’s hopes of winning on home soil and ended their drivers' championship aspirations. The sister #8 car of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa could only manage fourth after a late drive-through penalty for contact with the Porsche #6 car.

Ferrari’s hopes were also dampened, as the #50 499P – driven by Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina – finished a distant ninth. The result leaves them in mathematical contention for the title, but they will need a perfect result and some luck in Bahrain to overcome Porsche’s lead.

Cadillac’s race was similarly frustrating. After leading the race early on, the #2 Cadillac V-Series.R fell out of contention following an unfortunate safety car and a later crash, ending their day.

LMGT3

In the LMGT3 class, Manthey PureRxcing made history by securing the inaugural WEC LMGT3 championship. The team of Aliaksandr Malykhin, Joel Sturm, and Klaus Bachler in the #92, put in a strong performance at Fuji, finishing second in class and ensuring their title with a race to spare. Despite qualifying 14th on the grid, their Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 climbed through the field thanks to clever strategy and strong stints, particularly from Malykhin, who drove for over two-and-a-half hours.

The race for victory in LMGT3 was an intense affair, ultimately won by the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari. Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon took their maiden win of the season after Rigon made two decisive overtakes in the final half-hour, passing both Bachler’s Porsche and the #59 United Autosports McLaren, driven by Grégoire Saucy.

The McLaren, shared by James Cottingham, Nicolas Costa, and Saucy, had battled at the front for much of the race but struggled with tyre wear in the closing stages. Saucy’s challenges allowed Maxime Martin in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 to pass for the final spot on the podium. Valentino Rossi’s solid middle stint had brought the BMW up the ranks, and Martin capitalized on Saucy’s fading pace to secure third.

Elsewhere in LMGT3, Ferrari’s second car – the #55 Vista AF Corse entry – recovered to finish sixth after a difficult start, while the Iron Dames Lamborghini finished fifth, putting in another consistent performance.

With the LMGT3 title now secured by Manthey PureRxcing, the focus shifts to Bahrain, where teams like Ferrari, BMW, and McLaren will be eager to end their seasons on a high. Meanwhile, the Hypercar championship battle will take center stage, with Porsche on the brink of sealing a historic title.