The wild week of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has officially begun for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies! On Friday, in front of a large crowd gathered at Place de la République, the two PEUGEOT 9X8s and their drivers went through the traditional Scrutineering (administrative and technical checks), followed by a group photo of the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies. On Saturday afternoon, one PEUGEOT 9X8 paraded through the streets of Le Mans with Loic Duval at the wheel alongside 19 race cars, greeted by thousands of cheering fans.

After two intense days filled with media engagements, track walk by bike, pit stop training, and more, the serious business began on Sunday, June 8, on the full 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit (13.626 km) with the official Test Day, split into two three-hour sessions. This was a valuable opportunity for the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies drivers to reacquaint themselves with this temporary circuit, which is closed to racing outside of Le Mans week.

The first session began at 10:00 AM on a 16°C track. The six drivers took turns behind the wheel of PEUGEOT 9X8 #93 and #94, completing 36 and 37 laps respectively. The main objectives were to verify system functionality and validate procedures under Safety Car conditions. In the afternoon, under sunny skies and track temperatures rising to 35°C, the two PEUGEOT 9X8s tested different strategies — Medium slick tires for #94 and Soft slicks for #93 — before three red flags led to a premature end to the session.

The PEUGEOT 9X8s will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans Circuit on Wednesday, June 11, for Free Practice 1, Qualifying 1, and Free Practice 2.

Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director, Peugeot Sport

“This was a very important day for us and our drivers, who hadn’t driven on this track for nearly a year. We gathered valuable data to help prepare for the race. The red flags in the second session didn’t work in our favor, but we still managed to complete our entire program.”

Mikkel Jensen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)

“The track has changed slightly compared to last year, especially the entrance to the Porsche Curves which is now less bumpy and therefore faster, and the exit of Tertre Rouge which has smoother tarmac. We can now run the car a bit lower, which improves its behavior across the entire circuit. The engineers will now analyze the data for Wednesday.”

Loïc Duval (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)

“The track was quite good from the start, with decent grip. We went through our planned test program with different slick tires and various car setups. We also did long runs and completed the number of stints we aimed for on a single set of tires to prepare for the race. The car has a good balance, but we’re still lacking performance. It’s up to us to extract the most from our package.”