6 ORE DEL FUJI: BOP ANALISYS

After the chaos in Austin, where heavy rain delivered an unpredictable, old-school race, the endurance championship moves straight on to Fuji. And, as has become routine in 2025, the Balance of Performance once again takes center stage. This time, FIA and ACO went for a different approach: minimal tweaks, small and targeted. A choice that’s hard to understand, considering how different Austin and Fuji are as circuits, and how “balanced” the season has actually been so far.

It would be enough to compare the 2025 BoP with last year’s to see the direction things are heading, but by now it’s pretty clear that the algorithm follows logics mysterious even to the manufacturers themselves.

Toyota, despite a tough season, continues to carry the most weight on the grid, with figures almost identical to 2024. An extra burden that makes any real turnaround unlikely for the Japanese team. In general, nearly all manufacturers have been given an extra 20 kg compared to last year, with the exception of Peugeot and Aston Martin, still sitting at 1030 kg. The impression is that the goal of keeping the field tight mainly benefits the Valkyrie and the 9X8.

Ferrari doesn’t look to be in much better shape. Fuji has always been a difficult track for them, and this BoP doesn’t help, despite the clear progress the 499P has shown this season. More surprising is Porsche’s situation: just 4 kg heavier than Ferrari, on the very track that traditionally plays to the strengths of the 963. Overall, the gap between the lightest car (Alpine) and the heaviest pair (Toyota and Ferrari) is just 17 kg, far less than the 34 kg that separated Cadillac and Toyota in 2024. And the LMDh cars haven’t made a leap forward big enough to justify such a narrowing.

Looking ahead to the race, Cadillac seems best positioned to shine, with BMW and Alpine also likely to be in the mix at the front. Ferrari won’t be able to rely on pure speed, but could still play a role through tire management and consistency, as long as they avoid trouble. The real wildcard, though, could be Peugeot: this BoP hands them a rare opportunity, and the 9X8 may well stay in the fight until the very end. Not a dominant run, but a genuine chance to contend for something meaningful.

© Simone Marchetti Cavalieri

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