Peugeot launches its fourth full season in the WEC at Imola: "To be competitive, you have to be precise everywhere."

The World ChampionshipEndurance (WEC) 2026 gets underway after a disrupted calendar. The 1812 km Qatar race, initially planned as the opening event, was postponed due to the conflict in the Middle East, pushing back the start of the season to Imola. Peugeot took advantage of this delay with a test session conducted in early March in Portimão, Portugal, focused on the new Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tires. "These tests were very positive and we still have the opportunity to race in the Prologue.", says new team director Emmanuel Esnault, who specifies that the team will have a new opportunity during the Prologue, rescheduled for April 14 on the Italian circuit, just before the race weekend.

The drivers didn't wait for the start of the season to rack up the miles. Paul di Resta, Nick Cassidy, Malthe Jakobsen, and Alex Quinn have all competed extensively in Asian rallies this winter. Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring, in addition to intensive simulator work to prepare for the 2026 season.

Peugeot has also reconfigured its two driver lineups to include Nick Cassidy and Theo PourchaireThe #93 9X8 therefore features Paul Di Resta, Stoffel Vandoorne and Nick Cassidy, while the #94 lineup Loïc duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire. Emmanuel Esnault points out that "Each trio forms a nice balance of experienced and complementary profiles." Cassidy, who will be competing in his first Hypercar race under the Peugeot banner, sums up his state of mind: “Sharing the #93 with Stoffel and Paul is an excellent opportunity to learn from very experienced drivers.”

Imola, a technical and strategic challenge to kick off the season

While the 9X8s haven't received any major updates this winter—apart from an aerodynamic adjustment related to the new FIA homologation wind tunnel in Windshear, USA—they sport a new red, black, and white livery unveiled on February 26th at the Atelier Vendôme in Paris. This livery pays homage to Peugeot's GTi heritage, coinciding with the centenary of the brand's first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, celebrated from June 13th to 14th, while retaining the Hypergraphs representing the three claws.

On the sporting front, Peugeot arrives at Imola with positive momentum: a podium finish in 2023 at Monza (3rd), a second in 2024 at Bahrain (3rd), each time with the #93 prototype, followed by two podium finishes at the end of the 2025 season at COTA (3rd) with the #94 Hypercar and Fuji (2nd) with the #93. With eighteen Hypercars competing on the 4,909-kilometer Italian circuit, traffic management will be a key factor. Duval identifies it as a major challenge, but it's not the only one: "One of the challenges will be to understand and get the most out of the new tires in order to improve performance."

Esnault sets the course unequivocally for this fourth season: "To succeed, you have to be precise everywhere: in execution, in strategy, in consistency. That's where we want to take things to the next level." A measured ambition, but one driven by a team that has been progressing every year since its return to Endurance racing. See you on April 14th for the Prologue at Imola, before the start of the season on the same circuit on April 19th for the 6 Hours of Imola.

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