Peugeot makes its long-awaited return to sportscar racing this weekend, debuting in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the 9X8 Hypercar. It’s a momentous moment for the French manufacturer, as it last competed in sportscar racing in 2011, before pulling out just before the WEC began its first season.
However, it’s not just a big weekend for the manufacturer. It’s also a big weekend for its driver lineup, with Jean-Eric Vergne, Paul di Resta, and Mikkel Jensen in the #93 making their debuts in Hypercar, while Loic Duval, Gustavo Menezes and James Rossiter in the sister #94 9X8 have all driven in the previous top class category, LMP1, in the past.
Jean-Eric Vergne spoke to the press about the car’s soon-approaching debut, commenting that he “loved the look of the car” and “the good thing is lots of people are talking about it. And the second good thing is it looks nice.”
He also spoke about the car’s unusual design. It has no rear wing, instead generating its rear downforce via the floor. When asked what this meant for driving the 9X8, Vergne was emphatic.
“I wouldn’t say it’s exactly the same as having a wing, there’s only a certain amount of downforce you can produce, but the engineers thought of this,” said the Frenchman.
He added: “So in terms of driving the car, the handling is very good. It also feels very safe to drive, as a driver.”
Commenting also on his teammates, di Resta and Jensen, Vergne was also enthusiastic:
“Yeah, I’m very happy with both of my teammates. Paul is very experienced, we’ve known each other since we raced together in Formula 1. Mikkel is the younger guy, he doesn’t have the experience we have, but he’s a fast learner. He’s here to listen to everybody in the team, so I found my teammates and myself were very balanced when we work together.”
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