Peugeot had looked a prime candidate to exit the World Endurance Championship and its Hypercar era that's bursting with manufacturers. Yet now signs point to it continuing - and it is said to be working on a new car.
Why so? And what does it need to turn around its WEC project? Here's what we know.
Why the 9X8 hasn't panned out
Peugeot Sport had pointed to the change in the regulations concerning LMH tyres as an explanation for the poor results of the first version of its 9X8 - the one without a rear wing and with 31cm-wide square tyres.
"Initially, the regulations stipulated that hybrid LMHs had to fit four 31cm-wide tyres," explained Jean-Marc Finot of Stellantis Motorsport in November 2023.
"Knowing that the potential of the 29/34 (29cm at the front, and 34cm at the rear), we asked the ACO and the FIA at the end of 2020 about the possibility of using them. This led to a change in the regulations, which no longer allowed hybrid LMHs to opt for this option.
"Unfortunately, a further change was made to the technical regulations at the end of 2021, at the request of other manufacturers. And LMH were finally given the option to opt for 29/34s. For us, it was too late, because the car had been designed [around a different wheel size] and the parts ordered."
Why not make a U-turn, then, like for example Ferrari? "Our car is optimised for this tyre size," insisted project technical director Olivier Jansonnie at the time. "What is important and fundamental to understand is that your choice of tyre size determines everything: the weight distribution [close to 50/50] and therefore the aerodynamic distribution... The tyre size is therefore the main choice, and everything else flows from that choice." Hence the absence of a rear wing.
The fact remains that generating the majority of its aerodynamic downforce via the underfloor meant that the 9X8 had to be sucked to the ground, and therefore run the lowest possible ride height. This is particularly complex on bumpy tracks, as we saw at Sebring in 2023.
The first version of the 9X8 also suffered from a major traction problem, a real lack of mechanical grip. This was mainly due to a 6cm difference in the tread on the rear axle compared to its rivals, which is not negligible. Struggling to get out of corners, it also found itself struggling in traffic.
And even if the French team was counting on it, the BoP was not enough to bring the 9X8 up to the level of its rivals.
All these reasons prompted the engineers at Peugeot Sport to rethink their strategy. So, for the 2024 season, the decision was taken to abandon the 31/31 tyres in favour of 29/34, like all its rivals. And, of course, to add a rear wing.
But the ‘9X8 2.0’ has hardly achieved any more convincing results than its predecessor, with only one podium, last year at the 8 Hours of Bahrain. And this one was only scored thanks to a daring strategy and the disqualification of the Ferrari 499P, which had finished third. As Jansonnie said in Bahrain last year: "You can't erase the past". It's hard to turn a donkey into a racehorse, even more so in a short space of time.
Two podiums in two and a half seasons of racing is too little for a manufacturer like Peugeot. At the time of writing, the project so far is clearly a failure.
Stay or go?
While the ranks of the Hypercar/GTP category will continue to grow with the arrival of Genesis in 2026 and then McLaren and Ford in 2027, we cannot ignore the fact that, as the vice-president of Porsche Motorsport Thomas Laudenbach recently said, "if you have 10 manufacturers, there is only one that can go to its board of directors on Monday and boast of having won".
Ultimately, the departure of some of the protagonists is inevitable. And of course, in view of the current economic situation and the more-than-disappointing results of the 9X8, the one that everyone is thinking of is Peugeot.
And yet there is a strong will to continue with this Hypercar programme - a will coming from Stellantis.
For a long time, the idea was to continue with Peugeot until the end of 2026 before switching to Alfa Romeo, a brand owned by the Stellantis group since January 2021. Alfa Romeo has a proud history in endurance racing, with four wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours between 1931 and 1934 with the 8C.
A change of brand that would have made it possible to consign the 9X8 to the scrapheap and build a brand new car. Except Stellantis seems to have changed its mind recently - probably because Peugeot sells more cars than Alfa Romeo.
No flexibility to change
First of all, a quick reminder of the rules is in order. Article 19.1.3 of the sporting regulations stipulates that a car manufacturer may homologate a maximum of two cars during the nine championship seasons (from January 2021 until December 2029).
Manufacturers also have five Evo Jokers available between 2021 and 2027, then two in 2028 and 2029. These are modifications to the homologation form that must be accepted by the legislator and can only be justified for the following reasons: safety, reliability, serviceability, end-of-commercialisation, cost saving - or, yes, an obvious lack of performance, or a change of style.
But according to our information, Peugeot has already used the second homologation available to it in 2023, as well as all five of its Evo Jokers. As the rules currently stand, the 9X8 cannot be modified in any way between now and 2028. So what can be done?
A rules revision?
Peugeot now needs to convince the FIA and the ACO to give it more room to maneouvre.
The governing bodies are boasting that they have their BoP process completely under control, so why prevent a manufacturer from spending more money?
On the other hand, those existing restrictions were among the keystones of this new regulation, particularly to avoid the drift of costs, which are already higher than expected.
But the regulations would still need to be revised. How? In my opinion, after already extending the ruleset for two years last June, the ACO and the FIA appear likely to rubberstamp a further extension of the current LMH and LMDh regulations, probably until 2033. This would make a lot of sense when you consider that Ford and McLaren will arrive in 2027 and that the Hydrogen regulations (currently planned for 2028) are in line to be postponed.
But all this can only be accompanied by an adjustment of the Homologations chapter of the LMH and LMDh technical regulations. Last year, by formalising the two-year extension of the current rules, the FIA and the ACO announced that they would offer manufacturers two additional Evo Jokers. The same move again feels like a no-brainer.
It would be especially logical for cars like the GR010 Hybrid Toyota - which made its racing debut in 2021 - or even Peugeot, whose 9X8 has been racing since July 2022. Jokers, but possibly also a third homologation - which is precisely what would allow Peugeot to design a new car for 2027.
When contacted by The Race, Peugeot declined to comment on this information, simply replying that it intends to honour its commitment. This programme has, for the time being, been confirmed internally until the end of the 2026 campaign.
But the desire to continue is definitely there, as the French brand fully intends to deliver a fourth victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans after those achieved in 1992 and 1993 with the 905 and then in 2009 with the 908 HDi FAP. To keep that dream alive, it needs a new car.
