The WEC Fuji 6 Hours is about to begin, with the Ferrari 499P aiming for its first victory at Fuji

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Ferrari 512 S

The 512 S that recorded Ferrari’s first victory

Since its opening, Fuji Speedway has been the stage for numerous endurance races. The photo shows a Ferrari 512 S racing down the banking at the 1970 Fuji 200 Mile Race.

Since its opening, Fuji Speedway has been the stage for numerous endurance races. The photo shows a Ferrari 512 S racing down the banking at the 1970 Fuji 200 Mile Race.

Fuji Speedway is Japan’s leading international circuit, with a total length of 4.563 km and 17 corners. Fuji, Toyota’s home course, has been the stage for many endurance races since it opened in 1965. Since the WEC began hosting in its current format, races have been held at Fuji every season except for 2021.

Even before the WEC, Fuji had a long history as a venue for endurance sports prototype races, with the Fuji 1000 Miles held between 1967 and the early 1990s and the Fuji 200 Miles, an invitational race held at the end of the international season, both of which were hugely popular.

At the 1970 Fuji 200 Miles, Gianpiero Moretti and Corrado Manfredini drove a 512 S painted in Scuderia Picchio Rosso, beating out many rivals, including Japanese manufacturers and Porsches, to a first-place finish. This was Ferrari’s first victory in Japan.

The 512 S, a Group 5 prototype racing car, was developed in the latter half of 1969. It was fitted with a rear-mid mounted 5.0-liter V12 naturally aspirated engine that produced a maximum output of 550 PS, and in the 1970 season it achieved third place podium finishes at the Daytona 24 Hours and Monza 1000km, and the trio of Ignacio Giunti, Nino Bacarella and Mario Andretti won the Sebring 12 Hours.

Ferrari 499P aiming for fifth win of the season

Ferrari has been strong from the start of the season, with all three cars having won. They are aiming for their fifth win of the season at Fuji, a track where they have never won in the WEC.

Ferrari has been strong from the start of the season, with all three cars having won. They are aiming for their fifth win of the season at Fuji, a track where they have never won in the WEC.

The 499P made its WEC debut in the 2023 season, with the #50 car (Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen) finishing 4th and the #51 car (Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi) finishing 5th at the 6 Hours of Fuji. In 2024, the #50 car finished 9th, the #83 car (Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Ye Yifei) finished 12th, and the #51 car retired.

So far in the 2025 season, Ferrari has won four races: two for car No. 51, one for car No. 50, and one for car No. 83. In the Manufacturers’ Championship, Ferrari has earned 203 points, leading second-place Porsche by more than 60 points. In the Drivers’ Championship, the crew of car No. 51 is in first place with 115 points, car No. 83 is in second place with 100 points, and car No. 50 is in fourth place with 75 points.

Ferrari has won seven classes at Fuji in the WEC GT category, most recently with the 488 GTE in 2023 and the 296 LMGT3 in 2024.

Ferrari AF Corse's No. 51 car took a stunning victory in the third round of the WEC, the Spa 6 Hours.

Ferrari 499P achieves third consecutive victory with 1-2 finish at the 6 Hours of Spa in Round 3 of the WEC, with Alpine coming in third. [Video]

On May 10th, the final race of the 2025 World Endurance Championship (WEC) Round 3, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, was held, and the Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P No. 51 (drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi) achieved their second win of the season. Second place went to the Ferrari 499P No. 50, and third place went to the Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424 No. 36.

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