Testing Peugeot 9X8 “Dream Come True” for Jakobsen

Malthe Jakobsen said he enjoyed “every single second” driving the Peugeot 9X8 during the FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test in Bahrain, where he ended up as the fastest rookie driver across the two sessions.

The European Le Mans Series LMP3 champion drove the No. 94 car, sharing throughout the day with Nico Mueller and Yann Ehrlacher and set a best lap of 1:50.222 during the second session in the afternoon.

Jakobsen characterized his test outing with the Hypercar squad as “an amazing day.”

“I grew up with Tom Kristensen and these guys racing LMP1 cars and to be growing up watching these kind of cars racing around [like] the old Peugeot 908 and then to be able to sit in a similar car at this point in my career is just a big dream that has come true,” Jakobsen told Sportscar365.

“Thank you very much to Peugeot and Stellantis Motorsport for giving me this opportunity. I have had so much fun and enjoyed every single second of it.”

The 19-year-old Dane, who has spent the past season driving Ligier JS P320 Nissans with Cool Racing in the ELMS and Sean Creech Motorsport in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, notably outpaced both Peugeot simulator driver Ehrlacher as well as ABB FIA Formula E World Championship driver Maximillian Guenther during the test.

Despite his impressive performance against two more experienced drivers, Jakobsen remained modest about his speed compared to the two other ‘rookies’ in the car on Sunday.

“To be fair, I’ve not looked at the other guys’ lap times too much,” he noted.

“I have tried to focus on my own stuff because you can always turn up with excuses and blame other stuff, but I’m not that kind of guy.

“Usually the way I like to work is just to focus on my own stuff and when I know that I at least tried to do my best, I can’t ask for much more out of it.

“I will just have to analyze afterwards and get better and learn from it when it wasn’t good enough. But I just tried to focus on my own stuff and get everything out of it.”

Jakobsen said the weight difference between the LMP3 machinery he regularly races versus Peugeot’s hybrid Hypercar was the standout contrast between the two cars. He was also impressed by the 9X8’s straight line pace.

“Obviously, it’s a lot different than the LMP3,” he said.

“I feel like the main difference is the weight of the car, because it is so much heavier with the hybrid system.

“So of course in straight line speed it was a lot faster than the LMP3, in acceleration as well when you have the hybrid system kicking in with the turbos as well.

“But in the medium, slow-speed corners, it feels almost sometimes when you have some very used tires and a full tank, that the mechanical grip is a lot less than the LMP3.

“I guess it’s a mix of the tires and the fuel and also because the car is so much heavier. That was the main difference.”

Jakobsen “Didn’t Say Too Much Stupid Stuff” in Online Meeting

Jakobsen revealed that Peugeot first reached out about the test outing a week-and-a half prior to the final ELMS round at Portimao in October. 

“I did an online meeting with the team,” he said. “They were obviously happy to speak to me and I didn’t say too much stupid stuff.

“Then I got the opportunity go to the workshop in Versailles and do the simulator, for them to get a better impression because I was there for the first time in real life. It seems they were happy about it and they gave me this opportunity.”

He said he then tried to remain as relaxed as possible about the prospect of the rookie test, partially because he still had to focus on the ELMS title-decider in Portugal.

“Even though I’m still young, I have had so much experience with LMP2 teams and other LMP3 teams where they contact you, promise you everything and are almost guaranteed a test and at least 50 percent of the time something else happens and they pick somebody else,” Jakobsen said.

“I guess that’s just motorsport, so I tried to stay really calm. Of course it was big that they made contact but I was not getting too excited before the contract was signed for the test and everything was signed.

“Especially because it was in the back of my mind and when I had the meeting in the beginning of the week, we were fighting for the ELMS championship that weekend in Portimao.

“So even though it was a huge opportunity and a huge thing for my career, I still had to be very gentle and try to forget about it even if it was difficult, because I had a championship to fight for.

“Actually on Monday and Tuesday after I was testing the LMP2 in Portimao, so it wasn’t until Wednesday when I first got home to Denmark I could start focus on what I had to do in the simulator when I got there on the Monday after.”