“Charge complete, ready to fight.” With that concise but direct message, peugeot announces that he already has his new weapon ready to get fully into the WEC. They presented in Portimao the definitive version of the 9X8, its hybrid-electric Hypercar, which is more conventional than the radical design that was initially glimpsed, but which maintains what promised to be its greatest novelty: the absence of rear spoiler, leaving a rear more typical of a Formula E than a World Endurance car.
After ruling out racing at Le Mans, the French brand has already has set a date for his return to the WEC, the 6 Hours of Monza on July 10. From there, he will complete this season by going to Fuji and Bahrain and, of course, they will be from the beginning in the next one. He will do it with the already known list of drivers from which Magnussen falls for obvious reasons after his return to F1 with Haas. Jean-Éric Vergne, Paul Di Resta, Loic Duval, Mikkel Jensen, Gustavo Menezes and James Rossiter will be divided into the two 9X8.
The prototype will arrive at the key date in the Temple of Speed very prepared, since has exceeded 10,000 kilometers in 25 days of testing since December and on circuits as diverse as Portimao itself, Paul Ricard, MotorLand, Montmeló and Magny-Cours. “This bold and sophisticated car wholeheartedly embraces the brand’s DNA,” says Jean-Marc Finot, director of Stellantis Motorsport, while Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of Peugeot Sport, assures that they are “eager to discover its potential”. The lion’s roar is already heard.