By Carlo Platella
When Peugeot presented its Hypercar for the return to Le Mans in 2021, few would have imagined a car without a rear wing. The futuristic look of the 9X8 was a consequence of the technical regulations of the time, which limited the maximum aerodynamic load and encouraged using the front electric motor to implement all-wheel drive. The convergence with the LMDh platform then led to a revision of the regulation, debasing what were the strong points of the Peugeot project. After a year and a half of subpar performances, the lion's house now has the remedies ready to relaunch its assault on the World Cup.
The context
When adhering to the new regulations for the WEC, Peugeot thought of a Hypercar capable of making the most of the 200 kW front hybrid. Not being able to exceed a maximum aerodynamic load threshold by regulation, Stellantis chose to give up the rear wing in favor of a balance shifted towards the front end, in order to enhance grip on the front wheels and 4×4 traction. The subsequent convergence with the LMDh, without the front electric motor, then pushed the FIA and ACO to increasingly limit all-wheel drive of Hypercars, slowly bordering on rear-wheel drive prototypes.
In the new technical context, Peugeot found itself with a car unbalanced towards the front, therefore lacking traction at the rear. He explained last July to FormulaPassion Jean-Marc Finot, Senior Vice President of Stellantis Motorsport: “We thought about a certain type of vehicle balance, both in terms of aerodynamics and weight. If we had put bigger tires on the rear we would have had to change the aerodynamic and weight balance and it wouldn't have worked.” To meet Peugeot's needs, the FIA and ACO have brought forward the minimum speed for activating the front hybrid on the 9X8, brought first to 150 km/h and then to 135 km/h, compared to 190 km/h for Toyota and Ferrari. However, this measure was not enough, leaving the Stellantis brand playing the role of bringing up the rear among the large manufacturers.
Updates
Some amateur videos circulated last December show a Peugeot busy testing an advanced version of the 9X8 at Paul Ricard, featuring the introduction of the rear wing. The addition of the wing, however, is only a small part of a larger project, in which the balance of the car has been revised. In recent days the technical director Olivier Jansonnie has gone into detail about the changes made: “Actually, everything is driven by tire choicewhich is different from what we had”the words reported by Sportscar365. “First of all, we need to shift the weight distribution of the car. Our car was designed to run with a very offset distribution on the front due to the 31cm tyres”.
Until 2023 Peugeot used 31cm wide tires on all four wheels, compared to 29cm at the front and 34cm at the rear of the competition. To comply with a technical regulation that now favors rear-wheel drive phases over all-wheel drive ones, from next year the French company will also fit narrower tires at the front and wider at the rear, adapting the weight distribution accordingly. It is not a case that Toyota too, the first manufacturer to adhere to the Hypercar regulations, followed the same process. In 2022 the Japanese company abandoned the same width tires, and then corrected the weight distribution with the 2023 updates.
The new 9X8 will therefore have its internal mechanics revised, lightening some components and moving the ballast. To achieve the same goal, Toyota lightened the GR010's engine and gearbox last year, spending at least two development tokens. In the case of Peugeot, corrections to the aerodynamic balance are added to the interventions on the mechanical balance, introducing a rear wing. Jansonnie continues: “That's the second biggest part of the package: trying to get aerodynamic balance that goes with the new tire dimensions”.
Debut in Imola
Confirmations also come from the drivers that the rear wing will not be the only new feature of the 9X8: “What we dealt with were the limits we had, not just aerodynamic or mechanical, but as a whole.” the words of Paul di Resta, reported by Dailysportscar. The Briton talks about positive sensations behind the wheel of the new Peugeot: “I perceive it very different. The sensations it provides go in the direction we want.” According to what Olivier Jansonnie stated, the evolved version of the 9X8 will debut at the 6 hours of Imola. Not the best for the FIA and ACO, who will have to recalculate the Balance of Performance without being able to first collect on-track data on the performance of the new Peugeot. All that remains is to wait and see if the development work will be enough to bring the French Hypercar into the noble areas of the grid.
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