“It’s tough, we deserved second place,” Peugeot regrets its disqualification at Losail
Peugeot, initially in second place at the 1,812 kilometers in Qatar, eventually finished seventh due to a fuel issue. The team was disqualified from this inaugural race of the World Endurance Championship.
Some may have felt like they were reliving Le Mans 2016. More commonly known as the 23 Hours 56 Minutes of Le Mans. That year, Toyota appeared to be on course for their first victory in Sarthe. But with just one lap to go, mechanical issues spoiled their chances.
A little less than eight years later, Peugeot experienced a similar scenario in Qatar. While in second place, just a few seconds from the finish, the number 93 9X8 stopped at the side of the track, on the pit straight. It then resumed, only with the help of the electric motor.
Initially ranked seventh, the Lioness was ultimately disqualified. A bitter result for the French team members. “It’s incredible, in the last lap, we ran out of fuel, probably due to an issue during the last pit stop. We need to analyze what happened. It’s tough, we deserved second place today. We wanted to deliver one last good result for this Peugeot 9X8 2023,” regrets Nico Müller.
Despite this frustration, the tricolor team is focusing on the performance of its Hypercar, which will evolve before the next race in Imola. In Italy, the 9X8 will be equipped with a rear wing.
