Having qualified on pole position, the PEUGEOT 9X8 #94 was in contention for a strong result before colliding with a GT car on track.
The PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 set the fastest lap in the race thanks to Stoffel Vandoorne and finished in seventh place.
Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is now focused on the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where PEUGEOT will celebrate the centenary of its first participation.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps did not fully reward Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, but several positives can be taken away from this race in preparation for Le Mans. The first pole position for the PEUGEOT 9X8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the strong opening stint from the #94, and the fastest race lap set by the #93 at the end of the event.
Starting from pole position in front of 101,608 spectators, Loïc Duval defended the lead into La Source before leading through Raidillon. During his double stint, the French driver maintained strong pace before handing the PEUGEOT 9X8 #94 over to Théo Pourchaire. The car remained in the leading group and was in contention for a strong result. However, shortly after beginning his stint, Malthe Jakobsen was unable to avoid a GT3 stranded across the track at the Combes. Wrong place, wrong time, the #94 was forced to retire.
The PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 started from 9th on the grid with Paul Di Resta, who completed a clean opening stint. At mid-race, the car was running 14th through the sequence of pit stops, with Nick Cassidy taking over for a double stint. In the final hour, in front of his home crowd, Stoffel Vandoorne set the fastest lap of the race (2:04.177) and capitalized on several incidents to bring the PEUGEOT 9X8 back to 7th at the finish.
A limited reward for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, but the team leaves Belgium with its first championship points of the season and valuable learnings ahead of the next race: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. PEUGEOT will celebrate the centenary of its first participation in this legendary event. The race will start on Saturday 13 June at 16:00. Before that, the PEUGEOT 9X8 will return to the 13.626 km circuit on Sunday 7 June for the Test Day, followed by free practice and qualifying sessions in the week leading up to the event.
Emmanuel Esnault (Team Principal)
“We leave with a mixed feeling after this weekend, with Saturday’s pole position and a strong opening phase with several fastest laps from the #94, but also a big disappointment as we were in contention for a very strong result. We finished with 7th place for the #93, which also recorded the fastest lap of the race. The focus now shifts to Le Mans, with still work to be done ahead of the event.”
Malthe Jakobsen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“I’m very, very disappointed and sorry for the team. A GT spun in front of me in Turn 5 and I had no way to avoid it. I was on my outlap on cold tyres and had no option. The impact was quite heavy and there was too much damage to continue. A frustrating day.”
Théo Pourchaire (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“We were running a strong race until the end of my double stint, inside the top five with two hours to go. Unfortunately, Malthe couldn’t avoid a GT car that came across the track, but it’s not his fault. The positive is that the engineers and mechanics improved the car a lot over the weekend, which is encouraging for Le Mans.”
LoĂŻc Duval (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“After Malthe’s pole position, we didn’t really know how the start of the race would go. I completed a clean double stint, we were about four seconds from the leader. It was very positive. Théo maintained the performance before Malthe’s unfortunate incident. That’s racing.”
Paul di Resta (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“It was difficult to fight for points in traffic with all the Safety Cars and chaos, but we still achieved our goal with P7. We are already focused on Le Mans.”
Nick Cassidy (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“After a difficult Imola for me, I’m happy as I completed a strong double stint. I felt good in the car, and it was a valuable experience ahead of Le Mans.”
Stoffel Vandoorne (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“We scored our first points of the season, so it’s not too bad. Overall, it was a tough race, we were stuck in traffic and the pace was difficult to show. In the final part, with cooler temperatures, the car came alive and felt much stronger, which allowed me to set the fastest lap at my home race.”
