How to interpret Peugeot's performance at Spa?

Numbers are stubborn, we all know that. In motorsport, the real performance is that which is displayed in the final classification of a qualifying session or a race. During the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, fans will have to go down to the 13th and 17th rows to find mention of both Peugeot 9X8.

Worse still, the best lioness failed behind six LM P2s and only 2″9 ahead of the modest, much more rustic Glickenhaus. But to put what happened in Belgium into perspective, we need to rewind 15 days earlier, during the 6 Hours of Portimao.

No. 93 was rather spared from technical difficulties. @DPPI

In Portugal, on an excessively hilly track of 4,653 km, the Sochalian suffered a loss of 2% from pole position (-3% pure performance), then a deficit of 2,6%. in the race with a delay of 1,3 laps at the finish.

À Spa-Francorchamps, ces valeurs ont évolué… dans le bon sens si l’on rapporte le gap avec les Toyota et le développement total d’un tour de circuit. Long de 7,003 km, le circuit spadois se parcourait en 120,8 minutes en qualification (Toyota n°7), la meilleure Peugeot déboulant 2″4 plus tard. Soit un déficit tombé à 1,98% par rapport à Portimao.

From the position of a simple spectator, we will especially remember from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps a real lack of execution and risk-taking, particularly with regard to the weather conditions and the control of pit stops. The strategy played a major role in the final result, as did the lack of luck in the deployment of the numerous safety cars. Over the distance of a race, it ends up adding up. We can always argue that Ferrari, Cadillac ou Porsche ont pris plus de risque, mais n’ont pas emmené leurs deux voitures à l’arrivée et broyé beaucoup de carbone…

The execution in the pits and the strategy still deserve a little effort. @DPPI

Let's get back to the numbers. At Portimao, Peugeot's "ideal lap", that is to say when we manage to add the three best sectors together, gave a 7th position in the Hypercar hierarchy. At Spa, put end to end, the best sectors made up an ideal lap in 5th absolute position for the #93 Peugeot, just behind the #7 Toyota, #50 and 51 Ferrari, and the #2 Cadillac. Not so bad.

In detail, the Peugeot was able to set the 4th absolute time in the first ultra-fast sector (the Source bend, the Raidillon then the Combes straight). In the second, where there are the most middle turns, this position fell to 10th place. Then went back up to 8th in the 3rd sector, again faster (Blanchimont in particular) but cut off by a chicane at very low speed. The disgust of the 9X8, restarts are not its strong point due to its narrow rear tires and the triggering speed of the hybrid system from 150 km/h (compared to 190 km/h for the other LMHs).

In conclusion, we continue to think that the 9X8's only hunting ground will be at Le Mans. Fewer turns, less aero drag, wider front tires than its rivals for shorter braking at 330 km/h and large, fast curves where the deployment of electric energy will be less problematic. But this postulate does not include a central point: reliability, both mechanical and of the pilots.

READ ALSO : WEC Spa – Relive the race from the cockpit of the Peugeot 9X8