Loïc Duval (#94) made a strong start, holding onto his eighth position, while Paul Di Resta (#93) worked his way through the traffic to gain four places before making his first pit stop.
Team Peugeot TotalEnergies then opted to split strategies between the two PEUGEOT 9X8 cars. The #93 rejoined on the same set of four tyres, allowing it to climb up to second place overall. On the #94, the two right-side tyres were changed. The second pit stop for the #93 was effected on lap 70, while the #94 was running inside the top five before stopping on lap 84. Nick Cassidy and Théo Pourchaire then took over, both running on four new slick tyres.
Unfortunately, both PEUGEOT 9X8 cars were handed penalties (a stop-and-go for #94 and a drive-through for #93) just before the halfway point, undoing all the efforts made by Nick and Théo on track. Stoffel Vandoorne and Malthe Jakobsen then took over for a final double stint as fog began to roll over Interlagos, significantly reducing visibility.
The track remained dry despite a few drops of rain in the final 20 minutes. In these conditions, both PEUGEOT 9X8 cars maintained a strong pace through to the chequered flag, finishing 14th for the #94 and 16th for the #93.
The summer break comes at the right time for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, offering a chance to reset and regroup before the FIA WEC season resumes at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, in early September.
Emmanuel Esnault – Team Principal, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies
“Overall, the performance was there, with a solid start to the race. Paul and Loïc were able to fight on track with competitors and hold respectable positions. The rest of the race was more difficult, as we paid a high price for our mistakes. Our competitors were stronger than us this weekend, so it’s up to us to keep working and make sure that effort pays off in the upcoming races.”
Nick Cassidy (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“My stint was quite challenging. I felt good in the car during Free Practice, but in the race I didn’t have the same feeling. The team did a good job, and on my side I did the best I could.”
Paul Di Resta (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“My first stint wasn’t too bad, I gained a few positions and was around 15 seconds behind the leading car, I think. In my second stint, I struggled with tyre degradation, and then we picked up a penalty. It just wasn’t our weekend.”
Stoffel Vandoorne (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“It was a very difficult race for us. We received penalties, and the conditions were tricky towards the end with poor visibility. The positive is that we managed to bring the car home to the finish."
Loïc Duval (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“A tough race. Our pace and setup weren’t too bad… I made a mistake on my last pit entry. I thought I had activated the pit limiter. Sorry about that. We had top-10 pace.”
Malthe Jakobsen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“A very disappointing day, nothing really worked for us. We were expecting more after qualifying in Hyperpole yesterday. Now it’s time for the break to recharge, and we’ll come back even more motivated in Austin.”
Théo Pourchaire (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“A disappointing result, especially as we started from eighth and had the potential to fight for points today. The penalties cost us heavily. I’m quite satisfied with our race pace and with the job the whole team has done. A big thank you to everyone for the hard work, and now we look ahead to Austin. Hopefully, we’ll be able to fight for better positions there.”
