Porsche Penske Motorsport eyes Strong Finish at Fuji for Anniversary WEC race
Porsche Penske Motorsport heads into Sunday’s 6-hour of Fuji, round seven of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), with a mix of optimism and strategic focus. The race, marking a important anniversary for Porsche’s motorsport presence in Japan, is set to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (4:00 a.m. CEST). Fans can watch the race live on Sport 1 (free-to-air online and temporarily on TV), as well as thru paid live streaming services offered by FIA WEC (fiawec.tv/App, including live timing) and Eurosport.
Qualifying results placed the team in a promising position,with Julien Andlauer piloting the #5 Porsche 963 to seventh on the grid after a fourth-place finish in the frist qualifying segment. “I think we prepared really well for the race in the free practice sessions,” Andlauer stated. “Our Porsche has great potential, we have maximised practically everything. If we get through without any problems,a top-5 result or even a podium result should be possible.”
However, teammate Kévin Estre in the #6 Porsche 963 acknowledged a challenging qualifying session. “That was perhaps the worst qualifying session of my WEC career. I just didn’t manage a clean lap,” he said, adding that further set-up work and personal advancement are priorities.
The #99 Porsche 963 team,with Nico Varrone at the wheel,is focused on analysis and improvement after struggling for pace throughout practice. “We lacked the necessary performance here at Fuji in all the free practice sessions,” Varrone explained.”We have made some changes…but we are still not competitive enough.”
In the LMGTE Am class, the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R team faces an uphill battle after a tough qualifying. Driver Rahel Frey noted, “We definitely can’t be satisfied with qualifying. Things went very well for us in the free practice sessions…Today would certainly have been more within reach, but Célia just didn’t feel agreeable with the car.” Despite starting from the back of the grid, Frey remains confident in the team’s strategy and potential.
Riccardo Pera, driving the #92 Porsche 911 GT3 R, expressed satisfaction with his team’s fifth-place qualifying position. “Fifth place on the grid is a really nice result for us and gives us a good starting position for the race, as that’s where it counts,” Pera said.He also highlighted the championship implications,noting their 19-point lead. “Therefore, we have to cleverly stay out of all difficulties and come through cleanly. I think we have a pretty good package for that.”
