Peugeot Outlines “Two Options” to Make 9X8 Program Viable

Peugeot Sport technical director Olivier Jansonnie has outlined what he feels are the two options for Peugeot’s future in the FIA World Endurance Championship amid the 9X8’s failure to feature in the fight in last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The French manufacturer experienced the worst qualifying of all eight Hypercar brands ahead of the WEC blue riband, and while its race pace was somewhat improved, it could only manage a best finish of 11th (12th before the No. 50 Ferrari’s exclusion).

That was achieved by the No. 94 car of Loic Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Stoffel Vandoorne, who experienced a mostly clean run, while the sister No. 93 car was delayed by an early off for Paul di Resta and a change of steering rack later in the race.

Without explicitly stating it, Peugeot drivers made it clear before and during the race they felt the Balance of Performance, which had worked in its favor in the previous WEC race at Spa, gave the 9X8 no chance to compete, particularly on straight line speed.

Against that backdrop, Jansonnie believes that the time has come for change on the regulatory side, either on the BoP or to the complex system of homologations and Evo jokers that constrain development in the Hypercar class.

“To be honest, what is clear is that it doesn’t make sense for Peugeot to be in the WEC without being in a position to win at Le Mans,” Jansonnie told reporters pre-race.

“We have to find a solution. There are only two options: one is that they change dramatically the way they balance the cars at Le Mans. And the second is for us to be allowed to do something different.

“One of the two has to be [the case] at some point. It’s the only way.

“We are still finding performance. But when you look at the gap, it’s not something we can bridge with setups, with ride heights or springs and dampers.”

Jansonnie’s comments followed closely on from the annual ACO press conference, where it was confirmed that the existing Hypercar ruleset will be extended through 2032, but with no mention of additional homologations and Evo jokers.

He clarified Peugeot has already used the one fresh homologation permitted to manufacturers under the rules, and while he wouldn’t confirm suggestions it has burnt through all five Evo jokers with this year’s suspension update, he said the possibility of further jokers would be part of its discussions with the FIA and ACO going forward.

“It’s a discussion we need to have with them on what they allow,” continued Jansonnie. “It’s always in the regulation body’s hands to decide who is allowed and who is not allowed to have a new car.

“It’s always them that have to validate it, which is right I think. In the end, they manage the balancing, they manage who can do what, in terms of homologation.”

At last month’s Spa race, new Peugeot CEO Alain Favey as well as Stellantis Motorsport boss Jean-Marc Finot were both quoted as saying the brand remains committed to the WEC for the immediate future, going against previous speculation that a new Stellantis brand could be brought in to replace Peugeot in 2027.

At Le Mans, Finot said: “Our wish is to commit for the long term; it is wish of the Peugeot brand and the Peugeot board. But to be committed for the long term we need the tools to be competitive. We need to discuss to find a good path.

“The target is very clear, but the path has to be very precisely described.”

Jansonnie described Peugeot’s lack of competitiveness at Le Mans as “not a big surprise” but admitted it was frustration at being unable to show the 9X8’s progress since last year, when it had only just introduced the 2024 version of the car with a rear wing.

“I think the car has improved a lot since last year,”  said Jansonnie. “We are still struggling in some areas, and although we know the competition is stronger, it doesn’t show on track. It’s not very rewarding for the team, to be honest.”

Asked if Peugeot had made gains in high-speed corners, a notable weakness last year, Jansonnie replied: “That’s something we improved a lot actually. But the strength we had last year is now our weakness. We lack too much straight line speed.”