WEC Fuji 2026: Alpine Endurance Team finishes 2nd, just 0.591s behind Toyota

Alpine Endurance Team came within 0.591 seconds of victory at the 2026 6 Hours of Fuji. After controlling much of the race, the No. 36 A424 of Jules Gounon and Victor Martins finished second behind the No. 8 Toyota of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa. The second Alpine, driven by Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg, finished fourth.

The result was all the harder to take given that the two A424s had set the pace from practice, locked out the front row and led for almost five hours. The final neutralisation ultimately reshuffled the order and allowed Toyota to regain the advantage with a more energy-efficient strategy.

Alpine Endurance Team sets the pace from free practice

For the Japanese round, Alpine opted to run only two drivers per car. Jules Gounon and Victor Martins shared the No. 36, while Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg were entered in the No. 35.

Jules Gounon also went into the weekend nursing a wrist injury. Alpine was nevertheless returning to a circuit where it had enjoyed success in 2025, aiming to confirm its strong level of performance after securing a double top-five finish in Austin.

In the opening free practice session, Ryo Hirakawa put the No. 8 Toyota on top with a 1’29″694 lap. Jules Gounon set the fifth-fastest time in 1’30″501, while Charles Milesi recorded a 1’30″755.

The second session offered a much clearer indication of Alpine’s potential. Victor Martins set the fastest time of the weekend with a 1’29″304. Harry Tincknell followed just 39 thousandths behind in the No. 007 Aston Martin Valkyrie, ahead of Charles Milesi in 1’29″397.

Both A424s were among the quickest cars over a single lap, while also showing good balance over longer runs. On a circuit where top speed matters enormously without being able to neglect the more technical final sector, Alpine appeared to have found a particularly effective setup.

Saturday morning’s rain did little to alter the picture. Victor Martins was again fastest, this time with a 1’40″594, while the No. 35 of Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg finished sixth.

Qualifying cancelled, Alpine Endurance Team inherits pole

Saturday afternoon’s qualifying sessions were cut short almost immediately. Heavy rain over Fuji Speedway created widespread standing water and severely reduced visibility.

Only the LMGT3 field managed to spend a brief amount of time on track. François Hériau’s accident in the No. 21 Ferrari 296 brought out the red flag before race control ultimately cancelled the sessions altogether.

Under the FIA WEC Sporting Regulations, the starting grid was therefore determined by the fastest times set across free practice. Victor Martins’ 1’29″304 consequently gave pole position to the No. 36 Alpine of Jules Gounon and Victor Martins.

The No. 35 of Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg started alongside it. The No. 007 Aston Martin, despite setting the second-fastest time, dropped two places after receiving a penalty for contact during free practice. The No. 19 Genesis therefore moved up to third on the grid.

It marked the first Hypercar pole position of the A424 programme. Toyota, meanwhile, started further back, with the No. 8 only eighth and the No. 7 thirteenth.

Race: Jules Gounon and Ferdinand Habsburg hold position at the start

On Sunday, Jules Gounon started from pole ahead of Ferdinand Habsburg. The opening seconds were already eventful in LMGT3, with several cars spinning at the first corner.

The crash involving the No. 92 The Bend Manthey Porsche left enough debris on track to bring out the Safety Car. The No. 88 Ford and No. 81 Mercedes-AMG were unable to continue after the incident.

At the front of the Hypercar field, the order remained unchanged. Toyota, however, suffered an early setback when the No. 7 was forced back into the pits after only 25 minutes with a left-front puncture.

Ferdinand Habsburg takes the lead after the first pit stops

After the first round of pit stops, Ferdinand Habsburg took the lead in the No. 35 Alpine. Nyck de Vries nevertheless closed in behind him in the No. 7 Toyota thanks to an offset strategy.

The two made contact at the final corner. Nyck de Vries was able to continue, although the Toyota sustained damage. Almost simultaneously, the No. 23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage made contact with the No. 94 Peugeot before going off the track. A Virtual Safety Car was initially deployed, followed by a full Safety Car. The No. 36 Alpine took advantage of the sequence to regain the lead during the pit stops.

Peugeot then lost the No. 93. Paul di Resta initially stopped at the side of the track with a gearbox problem before slowly making his way back to the pits and retiring.

Further down the order, James Calado also endured a difficult race. The Ferrari driver, who arrived at Fuji as joint championship leader, suffered a right-rear puncture after contact with René Rast in the No. 20 BMW.

At half-distance, after 101 laps and three stops, the No. 36 Alpine led the No. 35. The gap between the two cars stood at 3.755 seconds, while the No. 007 Aston Martin was more than fifteen seconds behind.

The order between the two A424s nevertheless changed depending on the stint. Victor Martins, in particular, began to lose pace on well-used Soft tyres, allowing Ferdinand Habsburg to close in and move ahead.

The No. 007 Aston Martin also briefly took the lead through an undercut. The British car was then handed a drive-through penalty for crossing the white line at pit exit, returning the lead to Alpine.

Despite the numerous interruptions, the two A424s remained among the most consistent cars in the race. As the hours passed, their advantage even appeared strong enough for an Alpine one-two to become a realistic possibility.

The final Safety Car turns the race on its head

Everything changed in the final hour. The No. 58 McLaren LMGT3 of Finn Gehrsitz was involved in an accident after contact and left a large amount of debris on the track, prompting another neutralisation.

This was the moment Toyota made the move that would decide the race. The No. 8 minimised its time in the pits and rejoined with enough energy to reach the chequered flag. BMW adopted a similar approach with the No. 15.

Alpine opted for a more conventional stop. The No. 36 also lost a few extra seconds in the pit lane and rejoined behind several rivals.

The No. 8 Toyota, previously running in sixth position, consequently emerged in the lead. After spending almost five hours out front, Alpine suddenly found itself chasing.

Victor Martins closes in on Ryo Hirakawa

Just over twenty minutes remained when the race resumed. Rain began to fall, making the closing laps even more difficult.

Victor Martins had fresher tyres and attacked immediately. The Frenchman first passed the No. 35 Alpine of Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg before closing in on the No. 15 BMW of Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello and Dries Vanthoor.

Victor Martins regained second place and began chasing Ryo Hirakawa. The gap quickly dropped below one second.

Ryo Hirakawa remained composed enough in the closing laps to prevent Alpine from mounting a decisive attack. Victor Martins closed onto the Toyota’s tail, but the chequered flag came before he could find a way through.

After six hours of racing, the No. 8 Toyota won by just 0.591 seconds over the No. 36 Alpine.

What they said

No. 35 crew

Charles Milesi

“It was an excellent team effort, with both of our cars in the points and our best result since the start of the programme. We are nevertheless a little disappointed to miss out on a one-two after holding the top two positions for more than five hours. The entire team did a remarkable job throughout the weekend, and everyone can be proud. We now want to maintain this level of performance in Barcelona and over the final two races.”

Ferdinand Habsburg

“This day was incredible in many ways. Starting from the front row and having the team’s support during such a tricky opening stint, on slick tyres on a still-damp track, is a moment I will never forget. Hearing my engineer tell me that I was leading the race was particularly special.

The circumstances did not go our way at the end, but that takes nothing away from the exceptional work done by everyone.”

No. 36 crew

Jules Gounon

“We have mixed feelings today. We led for most of the race, but the final pit stop presented us with a difficult choice that ultimately changed the outcome. Even so, second and fourth places are a very good result for the team. After running at the front for so long, we really wanted that victory. Missing out on it is frustrating, but that is part of motorsport. I want to thank the entire team for their tremendous work.”

Victor Martins

“This podium rewards an exceptional race. With fifty minutes remaining, we were running first and second, which shows the quality of the team’s operational work. The final Safety Car did not work in our favour. With both cars at the front, it was difficult to take a different gamble with either one. I had to fight my way back after our final stop, but we were extremely fast throughout the weekend. We can be proud, even though victory seemed within our reach.”

Management

Nicolas Lapierre, Sporting Director, Alpine Endurance Team

“We were in a position to win for five hours, but the final Safety Car left us with a difficult choice. We could pit both cars together and accept losing time, or sacrifice one to maximise the other’s chances of winning. I made the decision to protect the team’s overall result, and I stand by it. Second and fourth places bring us more points, but they cost us the victory. It is particularly hard for the No. 36, which deserved to win, but the decision was made in the best interests of the whole team.”

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal, Alpine Endurance Team

“It is a solid result and another sign that we are performing at the level we expect. Naturally, there is some disappointment because we occupied the top two positions for nearly 80% of the race. The final Safety Car compromised our strategy, as we had no choice but to pit both cars in the same window. Victor did a remarkable job to come back and fight for the win, but it was not quite enough. After being disappointed with third and fifth places in Austin, feeling the same way about second and fourth today is actually quite positive. We have strong momentum and will be ready to fight again in Barcelona.”

Axel Plasse, VP Alpine Tech

“Running first and second for most of the race with the two fastest cars, in both dry and wet conditions, makes this result particularly frustrating. The fact that we are disappointed despite scoring 30 points nevertheless reflects our level of performance and our potential. This result rewards the work of the entire team since last winter. We will learn from this missed victory before Barcelona, with the same objective: to place both cars in the top five.”

2026 6 Hours of Fuji results

2026 FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship standings

A double top-four finish for Alpine Endurance Team, but with regrets

With Jules Gounon and Victor Martins finishing second and Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg taking fourth, Alpine secured its best overall result of the 2026 season.

The sporting result was strong, but it did little to hide the disappointment. The two Alpine A424s led for almost five hours, showed excellent pace in both dry and wet conditions, and rarely gave their rivals much breathing room whenever the race was running under green-flag conditions.

Toyota ultimately won through a more aggressive reading of the final neutralisation. The No. 8 used less energy, shortened its final stop and retained just enough of a margin to keep Victor Martins behind to the finish.

Jules Gounon and Victor Martins fell just 0.591 seconds short of giving Alpine a second consecutive victory at Fuji. A tiny margin after six hours of racing, but enough to turn a race Alpine had controlled for so long into a second-place finish.

Fuji nevertheless stands as one of the Alpine A424’s most complete weekends since its debut. A pole position, two cars inside the top four and a fight for victory all the way to the final lap: Alpine Endurance Team leaves Japan with a strong result, but also with the clear feeling that there was more on offer.

Source: Alpine Endurance Team