Why isn’t Peugeot’s performance at the Le Mans 24 Hours so ridiculous?
Out of the points in this 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot was the target of much criticism. Yet the French brand finished just two laps behind the leaders.
In sports, there is a tendency to be mean. Especially the French towards their teams or national representatives. After their withdrawal, Alpine took a lot of heat. And we chose to remain polite, as some comments were not pleasant to read. Peugeot suffered the same fate. But for other reasons. If both 9X8s crossed the finish line, they are not in the points zone. So here is the source of the criticism.
It is true that compared to the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours where Peugeot led the race, this may seem disappointing. However, the Lionesses’ performance is not so bad.
Only two laps away from the top spot, this shows how competitive and compact the Hypercar 2024 field is. In recent editions of the Le Mans classic, finishing one or two laps behind was very often synonymous with a podium finish.
Read also: Our live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
In 2022, Glickenhaus was (5 laps), Audi in 2015 with Porsche, Nissan, and Toyota as competitors as well… For comparison, in 2000, the sixth car of the LMP900, the first category, finished 28 laps behind the leading Audi.
So an eleventh and twelfth place only two laps behind the winning car is not a disgrace. Especially over 24 hours. Some might say that the safety car saved Peugeot. But not that much in the end. When it entered the track at 3:40 am, the cars from Sochaux were only one lap behind the leader. So the same gap when it returned to the pits at 8:11 am.
By doing a quick calculation, in eight hours of racing, the Peugeots only lost one lap. This means that in theory, the 9X8 would have finished in the worst case scenario three laps down without the safety car intervention.
To be perfectly honest as well, the Lionesses are sorely lacking in rhythm too. It must not be hidden. The gaps during the qualifications show it clearly. Peugeot still needs to analyze the data from its Hypercars thoroughly to adjust its settings and thus do as Porsche.
Move from mid-table to fighting for victory. Once the Tricolores have identified what is not working, the 9X8 could climb up the ranks or get closer to the best.
