Peugeot says a double factors end within the Fuji World Endurance Championship spherical does not imply it has made a breakthrough, because the 9X8 2024 remains to be “not good” on pure tempo.
A powerful ultimate stint on recent tyres propelled the #93 Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar of Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller and Jean-Eric Vergne to fourth place in Sunday’s Japan occasion, simply three seconds off the ultimate spot on the rostrum.
It marked the primary top-five end for the upgraded 9X8 that debuted at Imola in April in addition to the French marque’s finest end in WEC because it completed on the podium with the earlier model of the automobile in Monza final yr.
However Peugeot’s technical director Olivier Jansonnie warned that the staff should not get carried away with its displaying at Fuji Speedway, because the outcome wasn’t consultant of the automobile’s true velocity.
“Have a look at the lap occasions, it is nonetheless not trying good when it comes to tempo, to be sincere,” he mentioned. “However we managed to compensate [for] that and get this P4.
“There’s a little bit of luck concerned in that [as well], to be sincere. We have now been very unfortunate in some races, [but] sooner or later it is also altering [our way].
He added: “[The result] is a lift. We have now been by some very exhausting occasions with no outcomes, a number of strain since Sao Paulo and Austin – particularly Austin was a really unhealthy race for us.
#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Pictures
“We at all times function [on] the identical [level]. This time we managed to align it with issues and our rivals made some errors and that actually helps.”
Each Peugeot entries had been working exterior of the highest 10 on the halfway level of the six-hour enduro, because the staff targeted on saving tyres for a late assault.
The technique paid dividends when a stoppage for the Lamborghini SC63 within the penultimate hour reset the order, wiping out Peugeot’s deficit to the frontrunners and giving it a large tyre benefit over its direct rivals.
Jensen was working tenth at first of the ultimate hour, having already accomplished his final pitstop by then, and was in a position to cost by the sphere to climb to fourth, passing the #12 Jota Porsche 963 of Norman Nato within the closing phases of the race.
Loic Duval, Paul di Resta and Stoffel Vandoorne claimed eighth place within the sister Peugeot, securing their first factors end of the yr.
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A collision between the #7 Toyota and the #5 Porsche Penske 963, in addition to penalties for the #8 Toyota and the #35 Alpine, additionally contributed to their rise close to the entrance.
Jansonnie mentioned that it wasn’t straightforward for Peugeot drivers to make sacrifices within the early phases of the race within the hope of constructing a comeback later.
“[We are] pleased with the technique, we made a few gambles in the course of the race,” he mentioned.
“We knew we had saved extra tyres than others within the [final] pitstops, so we simply had a bit extra tempo on the finish of the race. However it required some drivers at first of the race to attempt to maintain the tyres for the top.
“We nonetheless saved pushing on observe even when the lap occasions weren’t coming as a result of we knew that in the long run, we’d have brisker tyres.
“It was an enormous staff effort and the efficiency of the drivers within the final stint was superb as effectively. So in all, very pleased with that.”
