WEC: Interlagos didn’t smile on Peugeot and Théo Pourchaire

Following the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Peugeot entered a decisive turning point in its season. The World Endurance Championship immediately shifted to its Brazilian chapter with the 6 Hours of São Paulo, contested on the demanding Interlagos circuit.

The first laps on Friday took on particular importance to regain the agility that had allowed the 9X8 to shine in the technical sector of the São Paulo track. With five races still to dispute and a Hypercar category where every detail mattered, Peugeot relied on the ability of the No. 94 crew with Théo Pourchaire, Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen to quickly absorb the physical demands of Interlagos and to instill the momentum needed to approach the summer break with the conviction of having relaunched essential momentum.

A dense qualifying session that hinted at potential

In the Peugeot No. 94 camp, Théo Pourchaire experienced the start of the weekend marked by constant adjustments, in a context where the slightest change in pace could upset the hierarchy.

Alongside Malthe Jakobsen and Loïc Duval, the Grasse native saw the car oscillate in the middle of the standings, conceding between four and seven tenths to the field’s benchmark cars, a gap sufficient to recall that the Spa-Francorchamps performance – and the pole position secured by the crew then – could not serve as a guarantee.

Free practice sessions were devoted to methodical work, with Peugeot evaluating different settings to stabilize a common base between the two 9X8s before qualifying. In a Hypercar category where every tenth becomes a strategic issue, Jakobsen and Di Resta bore the initial effort on track, with the objective of placing the prototypes in an exploitable performance window.

At the wheel of No. 94, the young Dane gradually raised the bar, first posting a 1’24”257 before lowering his time to 1’23”598 to secure a spot in Hyperpole.

The final session confirmed the density of the field: despite the best absolute time in sector 3 and a lap in 1’23”402, the Peugeot lined up in eighth position on the grid, just three tenths off pole.

A configuration that hinted at real room for improvement in the race, where Théo Pourchaire and Loïc Duval had to capitalize on this foundation to bring the No. 94 back into an upward dynamic.

A race without opportunity that stalled the No. 94

This Sunday in the race, Loïc Duval started as at each event since the beginning of the season, without encountering any particular difficulty in the opening moments. He even gained a position before finding himself under pressure from the Ferrari No. 51, engaged in a sustained comeback. Logically passed by Antonio Giovinazzi’s car before the first hour, Duval then found himself battling the other Peugeot, in a race start where gaps were narrowing quickly. After the first stop, No. 94 regained the advantage over the Ferrari thanks to a slightly shorter pit stop, which allowed No. 93 to settle into sixth position.

Just over two hours after the start, Théo Pourchaire took the wheel in eleventh place, penalized by a longer-than-expected pit stop. In a staggered strategy aimed at preserving the car, the Grasse native maintained his position in the standings, without any real opportunity to climb back in a field where the pace was neutralizing.

The final part of the race eventually reshuffled the cards with Malthe Jakobsen at the wheel, as rain was forecast but was slow to arrive. Fuel strategies did in several crews, including No. 94, which never found the opening to regain ground. The Duval–Pourchaire–Jakobsen crew concluded the race in a distant fourteenth place, more than a lap down from the winners, just ahead of the other Peugeot, second to last.

The wait will now continue until September 6 to see Théo Pourchaire on track again, at the American race held at the Circuit of The Americas, in Texas.