SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Feb. 28, 2025 – The PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 team has secured a 5th row starting position for the highly anticipated 1812 km of Qatar, the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The qualifying session, held under the floodlights of the Losail International Circuit, saw intense competition among the Hypercar prototypes.
Qualifying Breakdown
Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne were tasked with qualifying the PEUGEOT 9X8 cars. The session began at 5:40 PM, with track temperatures at a cool 17°C. Vergne, driving the #93 car, began his warm-up laps on medium compound tires. He initially clocked a time of 1:39.963 before improving to 1:39.926 on his final fast lap. This performance secured him a spot in the Hyperpole session, reserved for the top ten qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Stoffel Vandoorne, piloting the PEUGEOT 9X8 #94, which had undergone a complete chassis replacement overnight, recorded his best lap time at 1:40.032. “We suspected the chassis was damaged, but we weren’t sure because we couldn’t scan or use ultrasound here at Losail,” explained Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport. “As a precaution, we decided to replace the chassis, and it was easier to do so between Free Practice 2 and 3 rather than between qualifying and the race. Congratulations to the entire team who did an incredible job last night.” The chassis replacement was completed at 7:00 AM on Thursday.
Hyperpole Showdown
The Hyperpole session saw the top ten Hypercars battle for pole position. Jean-Eric Vergne further improved his time to 1:39.674. This effort positioned the PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 on the 5th row of the starting grid for the race. Six different manufacturers were represented in this high-stakes session, highlighting the competitive nature of the WEC.
Team Perspectives
Jean-Marc Finot, senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport, expressed satisfaction with the team’s qualifying performance. “It was a great qualification for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, an area where we didn’t often excel in 2024. This is the first time in a year that we’ve reached Hyperpole, which shows that the team continues to progress. Tomorrow is the race, an area where we are more comfortable, as we saw at the end of last season in Fuji and Bahrain. We usually have a good race pace and good strategies. But we know it will be tough.”
Jean-Eric Vergne shared his thoughts on the qualifying session. “My goal was to make it into Hyperpole, and that’s done. I think I’ve extracted the maximum from the car during this session. We know we have better race pace than in qualifying. We’re well placed on the grid, so it will be important to make a good start.”
Race Day Outlook
The 1812 km of Qatar 2025 is set to begin tomorrow at 2:00 PM (12:00 PM French time). The PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 team, starting from the 5th row, is optimistic about their race pace and strategy. They aim to capitalize on their strengths and navigate the challenges of the long-distance race. The competition is expected to be fierce, with multiple manufacturers vying for victory.
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