The penultimate round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship, the 6 Hours of Fuji, is upon us just two short weeks after the previous race at COTA.
Fuji is one of the easier circuits at which to save energy, with some GT cars able to complete the race in just four stops in the past. This won't be possible this year, due to LMGT3 having a shorter stint length than LMGTE. We can expect five stops in Hypercar and around six in LMGT3.
Hypercar will also have a large pit window, which is good news for anyone who picks up damage on the opening lap. With a long run down into a hairpin, Turn One here can be a hotspot for chaos, as we saw last year when several cars ran wide, Laurens Vanthoor took the lead and Miguel Molina was able to climb from seventh to second.
Michelin have brought the Medium and Hard compounds this weekend. In 2023, teams found it difficult to double-stint a complete set of tyres. As such, we can expect them to change at least two-tyres at most pitstops.
Watch out for some team orders in HYPERCAR as teams focus on the championship fight. Ferrari only have one car left in mathematical contention, whilst both Porsche and Toyota have shown no hesitation to deploy team orders in the past. Polesitters Cadillac Racing are amongst the likely frontrunners, and since they sit ninth in the championship they have the freedom to go all-in for the race win without having to weigh up the risks of losing a haul of points. Banking points is clearly on the minds of at least some of the contenders, with Toyota informing Kamui Kobayashi late on at COTA that they were happy to settle for second from a championship perspective.
Hertz Team JOTA could leave Fuji as back-to-back champions in the World Cup for Hypercar Teams. This will happen if their #12 Porsche 963 wins the privateer 'class', with the #83 AF Corse Ferrari third or lower.
Similarly, Manthey Purerxcing can seal the LMGT3 titles' if results go their way. This will happen through a few different permutations, all of which involve them finishing in the Top 4 and ahead of #91 Manthey EMA, #31 Team WRT and #27 Heart of Racing Team.
The HYPERCAR Drivers' and Manufacturers' World Championships are both guaranteed to be settled in Bahrain, due to the extra points awarded at an eight-hour race compared to a six-hour affair.