“Well prepared” to face Spa, Peugeot hopes to find success in Belgium

Peugeot still can't do it. The French manufacturer is struggling to improve its performance at the start of the season: the Lion has had two 9th places in the first two rounds of the season, in Qatar and Imola, far from the best and the podium. After two rounds, the French clan is in a very sad seventh and penultimate place in the Constructors' Championship, only ahead of Aston MartinA rather discouraging result, far from the ambitions of the Sochaux firm for this 2025 campaign after an interesting end to the 2024 season.

With its 9X8 Evolution, Peugeot can no longer hide behind the argument of the "learning phase": from now on, the French Hypercar will return to circuits it already knows, more than a year after the introduction of the "2.0" version at Imola in 2024. This did not prevent the French team from going to Spa-Francorchamps to carry out crucial and studious tests before the 6 Hours of Spa, the third meeting on the 2025 calendar, where Peugeot will try to truly launch its season with a good result in Belgium.

"The Spa-Francorchamps circuit was resurfaced after the race on WEC in 2024, so it was very important to race there before this edition of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, explains Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of Peugeot SportThe circuit is much faster now. The weather conditions were good – unlike those encountered during our run before Imola – and we were able to complete our full test program. It was a very interesting day. I think we are well prepared for the race, provided the weather is good.

First for Vandoorne at Spa

If this Walloon meeting is so important, it is because it serves as a full-scale preparation for the big event of the year: the 24H of Le Mans (June 14-15). In the Belgian Ardennes, Peugeot intends to break its poor momentum on a track that is supposed to suit the characteristics of the 9X8 Evolution. "At Imola, even though we were unlucky and made some small mistakes, we noticed progress in terms of race pace compared to Qatar, so we want to continue in this direction, says Jean-Marc Finot, vice-president of Stellantis Motorsport. Spa-Francorchamps is a legendary circuit, very fast with its big curves and long straights. It is perfectly representative of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, which is why for all the teams, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps serves as the final practice session for the 24 Hours.

In Belgium, Peugeot will race with its traditional crews. In the No. 94 car, Stoffel Vandoorne will have the honor of contesting his home race in the premier class, having missed the 2024 deadline. “Finally a home race in WEC for me, the Belgian rejoices. I missed the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps last year due to a date clash with the Formula EI can't wait to get back there, and in a Hypercar, with my fans, my family... Spa is one of my favorite circuits of course, one of the most beautiful circuits in the world. It will be the last race before Le Mans, so Spa is a super important stage for all the teams." A final test as preparation that Peugeot will have to use wisely if the French team wants to perform at Le Mans, for its third participation since its return to Endurance.

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