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Alpine Misses Fuji WEC Win by 0.591s to Save Their Car
Highlights
- Alpine lost Fuji WEC race by 0.591 seconds to Toyota.
- Late safety car period benefited Toyota’s strategic gamble.
- Alpine pitted both cars simultaneously, prioritizing team spirit.
- #36 Alpine finished second; #35 placed fourth after BMW overtake.
- Nicolas Lapierre accepted responsibility for the final pit stop choice.
- Toyota’s short-fuelling and tyre strategy proved decisive at Fuji.
Alpine loses the Fuji WEC race by 0.591s after a late safety car flips the script, handing Toyota victory. The #36 finishes second, with the #35 slipping to fourth.
Alpine misses victory by only 0.591 seconds at Fuji.
Alpine controls long stretches with both A424 LMDh cars first and second, pace in hand. As detailed in Fuji race results, the decisive moment arrives in the final stint.
Race control deploys the safety car after the #58 McLaren LMGT3 crashes heavily. A near 30‑minute neutralisation compresses strategies and shifts leverage to pitlane execution.
Toyota’s #8 GR010, driven by Ryo Hirakawa, short‑fuels and skips tyres. The car spends less time stationary and cycles to the front as the field forms behind the safety car.
Toyota wins via short-fuelling and no tyre change during the late safety car.
Alpine chooses caution, pitting both A424s together and fitting two fresh tyres. That protects both programmes but surrenders track position at the restart.
Sporting director Nicolas Lapierre confirms the call to avoid sacrificing a car. He prioritises team spirit over marginal gains, believing a single‑car push might have secured victory.
Lapierre accepts responsibility for the pit choice. He describes the outcome as bittersweet, noting Alpine’s pace and a claimed record 30 points from the weekend.
Nicolas Lapierre accepts responsibility for Alpine’s conservative final stop.
The #36 pit box sits directly behind the #35, complicating choreography. Victor Martins says the tyre change costs no time, and the approach still brings advantages.
Jules Gounon and Victor Martins deliver front‑running pace. Martins’ late charge trims the deficit but he falls just short, unable to line up a decisive move.
The sister #35, shared by Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi, finishes fourth after a late BMW strategic move gains track position.
BMW’s late strategy move demotes Alpine’s #35 to fourth.
Martins credits Toyota’s timing and anticipation from the end of the pitlane. The gamble proves decisive under the time‑compressed restart.
Alpine’s pace trends positively after a strong Austin run, reinforcing confidence for the remaining rounds. The team’s Fuji lineup is finalised pre‑event, underpinning operational stability.
The result sustains Alpine’s broader momentum, with attention also on its 2026 F1 comeback. Operational lessons from Fuji should sharpen safety‑car responses.
Visual Summary
Toyota
Alpine
+0.59s
Photo finish
Alpine controls race – 1-2 formation
Safety Car!
(McLaren #58 crash, +30min delay)
(McLaren #58 crash, +30min delay)
Toyota’s pit gamble – Fuel only, no tyres 🚦
Leaps into lead
Leaps into lead
Alpine double pits (2 tyres per car) –
Team-first, not fastest
Team-first, not fastest
Strategy Dilemma
Alpine chose team spirit
over a
potential lone victory.
“We could have sacrificed one,
but didn’t.”
Alpine chose team spirit
over a
potential lone victory.
“We could have sacrificed one,
but didn’t.”
0.59s
TOO SLOW
TOO SLOW
After leading all day, Alpine missed glory at Fuji by less than the blink of an eye.
Their team-first call may cost them—but what a race.
Their team-first call may cost them—but what a race.
Alpine: 2nd & 4th • Toyota’s home win
Zane Muniz writes across NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, IMSA, NHRA, and dirt-racing news. His breaking-news alerts and event previews ensure motorsport fans never miss a lap, drift, or drag-strip showdown.
