WEC | Peugeot disqualified: an inglorious ending and… petrol

There could not have been a more cruel and mocking ending for Peugeot, who in the last race in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship with the 9X8 version 2023 saw themselves deprived of the podium in the last two laps and given a disqualification.

The House of the Lion had presented itself at the 1812 Km of Qatar with the intention of concluding in the best possible way the chapter of this futuristic and unrealistic Hypercar, which from Imola will be replaced by the evolved version with rear wing, new wheels and aerodynamics.

Jean-Eric Vergne, Nico Müller and Mikken Jensen had also managed to take the lead throughout the race, then hold second place behind the #6 Porsche, remarkably resisting the comeback of the other 963s.

But in the last two laps, Vergne was forced to slow down, being overtaken by the Porsches of Jota #12 and Penske #5; the Frenchman tried to use the hybrid system to at least reach the finish line, where he then stopped and descended disconsolately.

For what at first seemed like a technical problem, post-race it emerged that it was probably a simple lack of fuel, as Jean-Marc Finot explained to the journalists present at Lusail, including Motorsport.com.

“Unfortunately what happened on the last lap was not foreseen. We have to analyze it, but I think we had a problem with the refueling of the car when we made the last quick pit stop, in which the right amount of fuel was not put in expected fuel”, says the Vice President of Stellantis Motorsport, who then cracks a joke.

“Apparently the hybrid system is also useful for motor sports: we returned to the pits with zero emissions! But I think a mistake was made, or perhaps there was a problem. Evidently it was the deserved result, next time we will have to be better.”

But shortly after the waving of the checkered flag, the further blow of disqualification also arrived for the #93, which was deprived of seventh place, forcing the French manufacturer to return home empty-handed, given that the #94 of Di Resta /Vandoorne/Duval ended up at the rear due to a contact with the Cadillac at the start, then returning to the pits to replace the battery.

Vergne's use of electric power alone to at least reach the end of the race led to the sanction, as explained in the note issued by the stewards.

“The competitor committed a violation of the LMH technical regulations (art. 5.3.2) by not returning to the pits after using the electric power of the MGU-K,” reads the bulletin.

“Due to this violation, and the competitor's choice not to respect this technical rule in the hope of being classified, car #93 was able to cross the finish line before finally stopping on the straight, without being able to re-enter Parc Fermé.”

“However, a competitor cannot obtain the benefit of a violation committed against the regulation in question. Therefore, the stewards have determined that the fact that car #93 crossed the finish line cannot be taken into account with regards to the relevant sporting regulations”.

“Furthermore, car #93 was not able to return to parc fermé under the conditions set out in Articles 15.1.1 and 15.1.3 of the 2024 FIA WEC sporting regulations. Consequently, the stewards decided with these two reasons, combined and separate, to impose the disqualification of car #93”.

Peugeot Totalenergies mechanics

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

And to say that on a flat track like the one designed near the city of Doha, the 9X8 performed well, making the most of its characteristics and also a favorable Balance of Performance which saw it activate all-wheel drive from 150km/h upwards, while for the other LMHs were set at 190km/h.

“We are very happy that the 2023 car was fast and in the game. With the power and weight we had, it means that the design of this car, designed based on the 2021 regulations, is fine,” adds Finot.

“I'm proud of what the team did, this weekend's operations went well. We didn't expect to lead the race in the first hour and fight for the podium or the victory.”

“Here we had fewer low-speed corners, where we lack traction with our current tyres, so a better track than Fuji and Bahrain, for example. Furthermore, the asphalt is very smooth, so we could enjoy the full effect ground without any problem and risk of jumping”.

“As in Monza and Le Mans, it is the type of track that adapts very well to the 2023 project. How it ended, however, reminds me a lot of Le Mans 2016, when Toyota stopped on the last lap. We have to digest this defeat and return stronger to Imola”.

“I think the car can be competitive, with the 2024 update. It will depend on the weight and power we have, but we are on the right track. Everything is positive, except the results.”

#94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Paul Di Resta, Loic Duval, Stoffel Vandoorne

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

Passing the ball to the riders, there could only be disappointment in the words of Müller, author of a combative first part of the race that drew applause in momentarily taking the lead.

“It's incredible that we ran out of fuel on the last lap, undoubtedly due to a problem during the last refueling in the pits – says the Swiss – We have to analyze what happened. It's difficult to accept, because today we really deserved to finish second We wanted to achieve a good final result with the 9X8 2023.”

Vandoorne adds: “What a day! We were slowed down by a spin at the first corner. Then we got back into the Top 10, but a few laps later we had a problem with the battery and had to change it.”

“When we returned to the track, we were last among the Hypercars, so we used our position to try to help the #93. I'm very sorry for my teammates and all the team members, because we worked hard in the last ten days.”