6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: Team Peugeot TotalEnergies already focused on the 24 Hours of Le Mans

• The two PEUGEOT 9X8s reach the finish of the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

• Peugeot Sport drivers achieve an exemplary race despite difficult conditions

• Next meeting for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies: the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The final dress rehearsal before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is a must-see on the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar and attracted more than 72,000 spectators throughout the weekend. A record figure which shows all the attractiveness of this championship.

For its first outing on the Ardennes circuit, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies ran a consistent race without encountering any major mechanical problems.

It was on a wet track that Paul Di Resta and Gustavo Menezes took the start at the wheel of the two PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 and #94. Starting on wet tires before switching to slicks on a drying track, the tire strategy was a key element throughout the 6 hours of racing, interrupted by four Safety Cars.

The six Peugeot Sport drivers, Paul Di Resta, Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne and Loïc Duval, Gustavo Menezes, Nico Müller completed an exemplary race, without mistakes, allowing the team to confirm the progress in the reliability of the two Hypercars hybrids while seeking performance. These 6 hours of racing, on an extremely demanding circuit, also made it possible to optimize learning in preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most important race of the 2023 season.

Jean-Eric Vergne, with the #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 crossed the checkered flag in 7th place in the Hypercar category after being hit by an LMP2 and finishing the race losing pace. He was followed by Nico Müller at the wheel of the #94 9X8 who finished 9th in the premier category, slowed down by poor refueling detection. The team as a whole did a very good job, which remains positive for the rest of the season.

Next meeting for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, June 10 and 11 for the Centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will mark the brand’s big return to Sarthe.

THEY SAID

Olivier Jansonnie – Technical Director of Peugeot Sport:

“Our two cars started, our two cars reached the finish without major mechanical problems, which is positive. The choice of tires at the start was not easy, we wanted to play it safe and opt for rain tires to ensure the drivers had a less difficult start to the race, because it is a complicated circuit with tricky areas. We only encountered a problem with the regulatory energy sensor when refueling the #94 as well as the #93 which was hit at the rear and ended up with a damaged body part leading to a loss of performance. On the cars themselves, in terms of reliability, we had a clean race, which is encouraging. Concerning the lessons, we were able to see setup faults, which are the same here as those already encountered in the past, there is no surprise. We are not on the pace but we already weren’t during free practice and qualifying so we have to work on these elements. In view of Le Mans, we must continue to work on reliability as well as on the performance points that we have identified. »

Mikkel Jensen – PEUGEOT #93:

“My stint went rather well despite difficult conditions. It was difficult to keep the car on the track, I slipped at times but with the track drying it got better and better even if still very wet. It was also complicated to manage the cold tires, as we could see it was the same for everyone, with a lot of traffic. We now have to be focused for the next stage which will be a challenge for the whole team and the cars. »

Nico Müller – PEUGEOT #94:

“It was a challenging race, with difficult conditions at the start in particular. Gustavo did a very good job at the start, we were on wet tires which was the right strategy for us and we managed to keep the car on track. Of course, this meant we had to stop earlier than the other competitors, which shifted our strategy, making it difficult to know where we were. We had a problem with a regulatory sensor during a refueling, the car thought we had no fuel, that was not the case and then everything returned to normal. This was a minor problem but had serious consequences on the ranking. We tried to maximize learning in preparation for Le Mans, we tried to see how long the tires could last, I did three stints with just one set, it was long but we managed. I hope that the data gleaned today can help us for the future. »