6 Hours of Portimão : a new challenge for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies

• The second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Portimão will take place in Portimão on April 15 and 16

• A fast and technical circuit, demanding for Peugeot Sport drivers

• The PEUGEOT 9X8s on track at the Paul Ricard circuit in March in preparation for this second stage

The next destination for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies in the FIA World Endurance Championship will be the Algarve and its international circuit, scene of the second round of the 2023 season.

After a challenging race during the 1000 miles of Sebring, which was punctuated by various mechanical incidents, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies carried out a test session on the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet in order to remobilize and make new improvements to the PEUGEOT 9X8 for upcoming European races. The work carried out during the last tests on the Var circuit made it possible to refine the reliability of the PEUGEOT 9X8s and to work on the problems encountered during the Florida round last month. Teamwork, with the mechanics, engineers and drivers was also important in order to stay focused on the objectives, compete with the tough competition, and the season to come.

The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is one of the shortest tracks of the season with its 4,653km. It is a particularly technical circuit, fast and known for its undulations and changes in elevation. The numerous blind corners also make it very demanding for the drivers: Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen and Jean-Éric Vergne at the wheel of the #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 and Loïc Duval, Gustavo Menezes and Nico Müller in the #94 9X8.

The 6 Hours of Portimão will undoubtedly be a new challenge for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies but the whole team is ready, with the desire to fight at the heart of the peloton and face the six other manufacturers who make up the Le Mans field. Hypercar.

The first free practice session in the Algarve will take place on April 14 at 11 a.m. (local time). Qualifying will take place on Saturday April 15 from 7 p.m. (local time), followed by the race on Sunday April 16 at 12 p.m. (local time).

They said

Jean-marc Finot – Stellantis Senior VP

” Portimão is a spectacular circuit, very hilly, which gives it character and makes it interesting from a driving point of view. It is a route with low speed restarts which will be demanding for traction. At Sebring, we were able to see the high level of the other competitors, so we now know that in terms of performance we have work to do to be at the level of the best. Concerning reliability defects, these absolutely need to be addressed at this stage of the project and that is why we are going to do endurance tests again in order to test the car.
The team, for its part, is a team of fighters, which gets back up and is ready to face its competitors in the next races. Our goal for Portimão, and as with every race, is always to do the best possible and aim high. Even though we know it’s going to be difficult, we’re going to give it our all. “

Jean-Éric Vergne – PEUGEOT #93 :

” The Hypercar field is very tough. Toyota are where we expected them to be, they are very strong, and Ferrari showed great performance in the first race and I think these are the two teams we need to have in our sights for the coming season. Indeed, it is one thing to be more efficient on a circuit but the other competitors can very well be as well. We have already tested in Portimão this should help us.
After the difficulties encountered at Sebring, we are even more motivated to find solutions and improve the reliability and performance of the 9X8. We are all united to ensure that this goes as smoothly as possible. From the moment that race after race we are going in the right direction, that we remain united as a team is the only thing that matters to me, and that is also why we continue to work with a lot of motivation. “

Nico Müller – PEUGEOT #94

” This route will be completely different from that of Sebring. It’s a track that we know, we have already driven there with the 9X8 so we will arrive better prepared for the race weekend and I believe that the characteristics of the circuit will suit our car better. I think we can take a step forward and I expect a weekend a little more accessible than at Sebring.
“Sebring was difficult for everyone, we were hoping for an easier start to the season with a more promising result but the team is very motivated to prove that we have a good base, that we can claim a good result quickly. We feel that the whole team is eager to return to a race, we want to give our best for this second round. “