Ferrari's 499Ps head to Fuji for WEC round six with Nielsen and Ye contracts renewed
Ferrari's 499Ps return to Fuji Speedway for round six of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship on 27 September, chasing points to close a 26-point gap to the manufacturers' leaders.
- 4.563 km
- 26 points
- 6 hours
- 16
What Happened
The 499Ps return to Fuji Speedway in Japan for round six of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship, which takes place on Sunday, 27 September over a 6-hour distance, with the race starting at 11 a.m. local time. It comes three weeks after Lone Star Le Mans in the United States, where Ferrari secured pole position with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi and claimed its first win of the season with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen. The team heads to the circuit at the foot of Mount Fuji aiming to score points of vital importance for the World Championship standings. Ferrari remains third in the World Manufacturers' championship after the 26 points scored overall by the official Ferrari - AF Corse team's 499Ps in the last round, closing the gap to the leaders to 26 points.
- Nicklas Nielsen, a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P in 2024, has signed a multi-year contract renewal as an official Ferrari driver.
- Yifei Ye, a winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 499P in 2025, has signed a multi-year contract renewal as an official Ferrari driver.
- Both will continue to represent Ferrari in the main international endurance competitions.
- Inaugurated in 1965.
- Measures 4.563 kilometres and includes 16 turns.
- Characterised by several changes in elevation and a highly technical layout combining corners with very different radii and cornering speeds.
- Its reputation has been closely linked to endurance racing since the 1960s and 1970s.
- Since the FIA WEC was established in 2012, Fuji has hosted a round of the World Championship every year, except in 2021.
Ferrari's best results at Fuji in the top Hypercar class are the ninth-place finishes achieved in 2025 by official Ferrari drivers Ye and Hanson together with Kubica, and in 2024 by Fuoco, Molina and Nielsen. In more recent years, Fuji has also hosted the first class win for the 296 LMGT3, in 2024, with the Vista AF Corse team's car driven by official Ferrari driver Rigon together with Flohr and Castellacci, and in 2023 the last World Championship win for the 488 GTE, secured by the same crew.
- Fifth on 58 points, 17 points behind the leader; 11th at COTA
- Seventh, with a 21-point gap to the leader; winners in America
- 13th, 44 points behind; 14th at Austin in the number 83 499P fielded by the AF Corse team
Two free practice sessions, each lasting 90 minutes, starting at 10.15 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.
Third free practice session from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., then Hypercar class qualifying at 2.40 p.m. and Hyperpole at 3.30 p.m.
The 6 Hours of Fuji starts at 11 a.m. local time.
Next week, before the Japanese race, the second episode of Mastering Variables will be published on the Ferrari YouTube channel. The episode is dedicated to the work of the Ferrari - AF Corse team's mechanics and, through interviews and previously unseen images, will reveal the team's work before and during a FIA WEC event, managing the many variables that characterise an endurance race. Its stated aim is to contribute to achieving the best possible result.
Why this matters
Fuji is round six of the 2026 FIA WEC, where Ferrari's 499Ps can score points of vital importance for the World Championship standings; the team is third among manufacturers, 26 points behind the leaders. The result directly affects its drivers, whose title gaps range from 17 to 44 points, and the AF Corse team that runs the cars. Ferrari also used the build-up to renew the contracts of Le Mans-winning drivers Nicklas Nielsen and Yifei Ye.
Terms in This Story
- FIA WEC
- The FIA World Endurance Championship, the global sports-car racing series.
- Hypercar
- The top class of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
- Hyperpole
- The final qualifying session that follows the main qualifying session.
- LMGT3
- A GT car class run in the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.