SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Feb. 20, 2025 – The Peugeot TotalEnergies Team is gearing up for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, starting with the 1812 km of Qatar on February 28th. This marks the team's third season in the WEC, and they are looking to build on the momentum from a strong finish to the 2024 season.
Team Preparations and Car Development
"2025 is a year we’re approaching with determination," says Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport. He highlighted the team's strong performance at the end of the 2024 season, including a podium finish at the 8 Hours of Bahrain. Finot added, "Now, we need to find a little more performance. A suspension-focused Joker will be deployed starting from Qatar."
The team has been actively developing the PEUGEOT 9X8 during the off-season. "A long endurance session at the Castellet, which allowed us to work on reliability and confirmed the significant progress made in this area," confirms Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport. He also noted the value of a test day in Qatar, stating, "We also had a test day in Qatar in January with two cars, which was very instructive for us, as the PEUGEOT 9X8 2024 version hadn’t been updated at this track last year. Losail is a unique circuit."
Track Characteristics and Race Strategy
The Losail International Circuit (5.418 km, 16 corners) presents unique challenges. Its flat nature favors cars with strong aerodynamics at low ride height. "But the curbs still require the car not to be set too low," points out Olivier Jansonnie. "There is a compromise to find in the setup. Other factors must also be considered, like the large temperature variation between the start at 2:00 p.m. and the finish—around midnight—which affects race strategies, tire changes, etc."
Looking Back and Aiming Forward
Reflecting on the 2024 race in Qatar, Jansonnie commented, "Apart from this mistake so close to the end, the race went pretty well for us last year. That doesn’t mean it will work out the same way this year, as the car and the circumstances are different."
The team has high hopes for the 2025 season. "What we hope for this season is that our performance level will allow us to compete with the best and take advantage of opportunities to aim for the top steps of the podium. The goal is to be in a position to fight for the podium at every race, starting with Qatar. It’s ambitious because the FIA WEC Championship is extremely competitive. We are living in a golden age of endurance racing. We are lucky to experience this. It’s very exciting and highly motivating for the teams, but the spots are hard to get, very hard..."
Driver Perspectives
Jean-Eric Vergne (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93) shared his affinity for the Losail circuit, saying, "Losail is one of the circuits that suits us the best with its very smooth surface, long fast corners, and plenty of straights that offer many overtaking opportunities. I love this layout, and it worked well for Peugeot last year until the end of the race. We hope to be just as competitive this year. We’ve done a lot of testing during the off-season to continue developing the car and work on small details that can make a difference. I’m excited for the season to start, and on the #93, I’m reuniting with Mikkel and Paul, my teammates from 2023."
Malthe Jakobsen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94) expressed his enthusiasm for his first race with the team. "Since the Rookies Tests in Bahrain last November, I’ve competed in the Asian Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and also participated in PEUGEOT 9X8 development sessions. It was during this time that I discovered the Losail circuit. It’s a very flat track with fast corners and very little tire degradation. The team had a great race in Qatar last year, and I hope we can achieve a good result this season. It will be my first race with the Peugeot TotalEnergies team and my teammates on the #94, Stoffel and Loïc, who are very experienced. I have a lot to learn from them."
Event Schedule and Media Information
The 13th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off with an official Prologue at the Losail International Circuit (February 21-22). The 1812 km of Qatar race will begin on Friday, February 28 at 14:00 local time (12h00 CET UTC+1, 11h00 GMT).
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