The new Peugeot 9X8 will not be in Qatar for the start of the season

The teams registered for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2024 are preparing their weapons in preparation for the launch of the season in Qatar (March 2). One month before the deadline, bad news tarnished the preparations for the training Peugeot Sport.

Registered in Hypercar with the 9X8, the French team confirmed, during a virtual press conference in which AUTO participatedhebdo, this Wednesday January 31, that it would not take the evolution of the prototype equipped with a rear wing to Losail for the 1812 Km of Qatar. In the Middle East, the two crews composed of Mikkel Jensen-Nico Müller-Jean-Éric Vergne and Paul Di Resta-Loïc duval-Stoffel Vandoorne will drive the 9X8 identical to the previous season.

Season 2024 Line-up: you already know the names, now know the crews!

Because #93: @MikkelhJensen, @nico_mueller, @JeanEricVergne
Because #94: @PaulDiResta, @loicduval, @svandoorne #Peugeot9X8 #WEC pic.twitter.com/imvXRWDMzg

— Peugeot Sport (@peugeotsport) January 19, 2024

Indeed, the 9X8 “evolution” is in the homologation phase with the FIA ​​and the ACO, but will not be used during the opening round. Instead, you'll have to wait a few more months to admire it in action. Peugeot Sport is doing its utmost to be ready by the 6 Hours of Imola (Italy), the scene of the second round of the WEC season on April 21, according to the declaration of Olivier Jansonnie, the Technical Director of Peugeot Sport.

Jansonnie clarified that Peugeot did not want to rush things.

« We will do the first race of the championship in Qatar with the car in its 2023 version and then we will bring the 2024 specification car to Imola, which means we have to finalize the homologation by the end of March in order to 'be ready on time, he confided during this round table.

We knew from the start that it would be impossible (to have the 9X8 in its 2024 specification from Qatar. Editor's note).

The reason is that ultimately the probate process that we have now, when you do a new probate or you do a wildcard, you have to do it completely.

You can't just do half the work. You have to do it completely and it takes time. You have to make sure to maximize the effect of the joker you spend in one way or another, out of the five jokers available. »

Size changes

In addition to the addition of an aerodynamic appendage at the rear, Peugeot will abandon the 31cm Michelin tires at the front and rear for smaller front tires (29cm) and wider rear tires (34cm) , as is the case with the majority of Hypercars.

« Most of the changes we make are simply to adapt tire sizes, added Jansonnie.

First, we need to change the weight distribution on the car. Our car was designed to run with a very forward weight distribution because of the 31 cm tires.

So we have to move it back somehow, which means we have to have lighter parts on the car, move some ballast to try to change the weight distribution and, of course, readjust the aerodynamic balance of the car.

This is the second most important part of the package: trying to get an aerodynamic balance on the car that matches the new tire size. It really depends on the choice of tires we make now, which is different from the one we had before. »

Finally, Jansonnie did not wish to specify whether Peugeot had used one or more Evo jokers in order to make modifications to the powertrain.

With JB

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