24 Hours of Le Mans: The Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is getting ready for the start of the Centenary

·       The fans flooded the track earlier in the week

·       First free practice sessions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the two PEUGEOT 9X8

·       The Team Peugeot TotalEnergies is focussing on the race that promises to be action-packed

Race week is on for the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary and 30 years after its historical hat-trick, PEUGEOT is reunited with its fans. Tuesday, during the autograph session, the many fans came to show their support and to meet the six Peugeot Sport drivers.

Today, it was time for the first free practices and also the much-awaited qualifying session, where only the first eight cars qualify for the Hyperpole tomorrow, Thursday 8th June.

It’s on a cooling track that Mikkel Jensen, at the wheel of the #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 and Loïc Duval in the #94 took part to the qualifying. During this action-packed session, interrupted by two red flags, the two Peugeot Sport drivers were not able to show their full capacity and performance. Because of a slow zone deployed 13 minutes before the end of the session, Mikkel Jensen and Loïc Duval were not able to get a clean lap without being caught in the traffic. The #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 set a time of 3:27.546 finishing 10th, followed by the #94 PEUGEOT 9X8 with a lap in 3:27.850.

The two PEUGEOT 9X8 will be back on track tomorrow from 15h for the third free practice followed by the last night session from 22h to 23h. Saturday 10th June at 16h, the #93 PEUGEOT 9X8 will start on the 5th and the #94 on the 6th.

WHAT THEY SAID

Jean-Marc Finot – Stallantis Motorsport Senior VP: “Of course we are disappointed to not have a PEUGEOT 9X8 in Hyperpole. We are still missing some rhythm even if we are getting closer. We still have a lot of work to do and we will get to it during the coming free practices. For the race the pace will be one thing and the mechanical and weather elements will be another thing. A great challenge is awaiting us.”

Mikkel Jensen – PEUGEOT #93: “It was a messy session with a lot of red flags, we had one lap time and the one I did was cancelled because one red flag came out a few seconds before I crossed the line. I think that we were quite unlucky, the red flags came when we changed tyres and then for the last set we decided to go out a bit earlier as the track was clear but was interrupted by a slow zone and we pitted again. My best lap was done on used tyres so I think there were some more potential to get out of it. Qualifying is not the most important for a 24-hour race.”

Loïc Duval – PEUGEOT #94: “It was a tough qualifying. We had a first clean run, the car was ok, I did not get the slipstream on the straight line which cost us a little bit of time as guys behind got some. But the sectors one two and three were not too bad. Then the session was a kind of a nightmare with red flags, traffic so I did not get the chance to have another lap to put it together. We were better in our car but I think we are where we should be so in then end I have no regrets. We will keep working on it, to be better during the race where anything can happen.”