Rain, an often determining factor in Fuji

She is the unmissable guest of the Fuji circuit; rain has disrupted automobile competitions organized on the Japanese track on numerous occasions. The weather forecasts do not announce anything encouraging for the 6 Hours of Fuji, round of the Endurance World Championship (WEC). The qualifying timetable was changed on Saturday and it is not excluded that such a decision could be repeated on Sunday for the start. When the rain hits Mount Fuji, drivers often have to deal with thick fog and constant rain, as was already the case during three notable races, in Formula 1 as Endurance. 

Among the events contested in the mist of Mount Fuji, the finale of the 1 F1976 season will undoubtedly remain one of the most memorable. Arrived in Japan with a three-point lead over James Hunt despite his terrible accident on the Nordschleife, Niki Lauda bring back Ferrari in the pits after the first lap. Visibility on the track is practically zero, safety is not ensured according to the Austrian. Despite the withdrawal of the Ferrari, James Hunt must change tires and engage in a perilous climb on a drying track at the end of the event (3rd). A result sufficient to steal the title at the last minute. Winner, Mario Andretti (Lotus) dropped all his opponents: no driver is classified in the same lap as the American. Eleven drivers saw the checkered flag between the drops, fourteen retired. F1 will return the following year to Fuji, before a long break of 30 years.

When F1 once again set down on the slopes of Mount Fuji in 2007, the reception was chilly. The weather is terrible, and the start is given behind the safety car. For 19 laps, the drivers were patient. Once the race started, incidents rained down: Alex Wurz (Williams) hits Felipe Massa (Ferrari), then Fernando Alonso (McLaren), then leader of the general classification, smashes his car after aquaplaning. During neutralization, the surprising Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso, 20 years old at the time), then on the virtual podium, hit the back of the Red Bull of his future teammate Mark Webber. The last round is marked by a fierce fight between Felipe Massa et Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber), who fight wheel to wheel despite the spray of water disrupting the steering.

Lewis Hamilton (Mclaren), benefits from a clear track from pole position and wins ahead of Heikki Kovalainen (Renault) and the future world champion Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari).

Since 2012, the WEC has been the only FIA-certified world championship to take place in Fuji. After a first edition marked by the success of Toyota, Japanese spectators are expecting a great show the following year. This was without counting on a typhoon, which caused a mock race. After sixteen laps behind the safety car, then a two-hour red flag, the fans, sheltered under their ponchos, can leave, the event being canceled. The height of irony is that it is not the Audi of Fässler-Lotterer-Tréluyer, which started from pole, which wins, due to mechanical problems. The Toyota of Wurz-Stone-Nakajima is declared the winner.