WEC: Théo Pourchaire and Peugeot finish the 6 Hours of Fuji in 6th place

Théo Pourchaire and the Peugeot 9X8 No. 94 finished the 6 Hours of Fuji in sixth place on Sunday in Japan. Associated with Loïc Duval and Malthe Jakobsen, the driver from Maral competed in a race marked by rain and the cancellation of qualifying, before finishing just ten seconds behind the winner. Peugeot’s best result this season.

The Peugeot 9X8 No. 94 did not immediately occupy the leading positions at Fuji. During Free Practice 1, the crew set the 17th and last time with a lap of 1:31.516.

The situation improved during the second session. With a time of 1:30.205, the No. 94 achieved the 15th best time in Free Practice 2. This position would ultimately determine its place on the starting grid.

Weather conditions then disrupted Saturday’s programme. Heavy rain led to the cancellation of qualifying. The grid was therefore established based on the best times from free practice. The Peugeot No. 94 thus started from 15th position.

The third session confirmed the pace recovered by the car. In the rain, the No. 94 set the fourth best time with a lap of 1:41.107. Peugeot appeared to be comfortable on a wet track.

From 15th on the grid to sixth at the finish

Loïc Duval started and quickly integrated into the leading group. Throughout the stints, the crew also composed of Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire continued its recovery. The best race lap for the Peugeot No. 94 was achieved by Malthe Jakobsen in 1:31.783.

The race was then marked by a contact without final consequences. Midway through the race, while Malthe Jakobsen was at the wheel, the Peugeot slightly touched an Aston Martin competing in LMGT3 at the chicane. The No. 94 avoided a spin and was able to continue the race.

Starting from 15th position, the No. 94 finally crossed the finish line in sixth place, having gained nine positions. The gap to the winner was ten seconds, confirming the closeness between the different crews at the end of the six hours of racing.

For Théo Pourchaire, this Japanese round also had a particular dimension. The Frenchman already knows Fuji International Speedway from his time in Super Formula. The driver thus returned to a circuit where Peugeot had achieved second place in 2025 with the No. 93.

The sister car had then led for 61 laps before finishing second. This performance remains the best result achieved by Team Peugeot TotalEnergies at Fuji.

The No. 94 leaves Japan this time with its best result in 2026, sixth place, and good points in the FIA WEC championship. The season will continue with the 6 Hours of Barcelona on the weekend of October 18, before the final round in Monza on November 8, where the Team Peugeot TotalEnergies endurance adventure began in 2022.