Mikkel Jensen of the #93 Peugeot 9X8 suggested rain could give Peugeot a promising chance in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Fuji, following a difficult qualifying run by the French manufacturer.
During qualifying, where the final session is a 15-minute outing for the Hypercar class, rain returned onto the Fuji Speedway track surface just three minutes before the end, causing tyre management difficulties for Peugeot with limited ability to match the front runners.
Whilst Toyota claimed 1-2, Peugeot finished in 10th and 11th places, only surpassing the Vanwall for qualifying position in the Hypercar class.
Jensen, who qualified the #93 in 11th, said: “We had very tricky conditions for the qualifying and we struggled with our tyre pressure.
“It was very hard in these conditions, but the race is six hours so tomorrow will be different.
“The conditions might be different as well and our guys showed to be quite good in the wet so if it does rain, I think it could play in our favour so we will see how it goes tomorrow.”
Jean-Marc Finot, Stellantis’ Motorsport Senior Vice President, consolidated: “Our qualifying session did not meet our expectations, we finished P10 and P11.
“We struggled to get our tyres in the right window for both our cars and in particular the #94 which had a lock up and we had to change the tyres.
“When it started to rain, it prevented us from setting better lap times.
“The stakes will be different tomorrow during the race and the difficulties we faced during the qualifying won’t be the same.”
Hypercar qualifying initially started well for Peugeot, until both cars had their fourth lap times deleted due to exceeding track limits, with race control declaring the track wet beforehand due to dampness from rain earlier in the day.
The slick compound on a damp track made issues with increasing their tyre pressure and temperature to optimal qualifying shape, before the rain noticeably increased in presence in the final few minutes.
However, their pace during a rain-stricken FP1 showed promise for Peugeot, as the #93 9X8 did provisionally claim the fastest lap in the hands of Paul di Resta, before Porsche and Ferrari asserted pace for the remainder of the session, as times quickened up because of the track surface drying out.
The weather forecast for the race predicts a dry, hot and humid six-hours, with rain most likely to come within the final couple of hours.
Factors such as fuel, strategy and tyre management will be considered crucial for the race, in order for Peugeot to claim strong finishing positions.
WEC’s penultimate round of the 2023 season commences on Sunday 10 September, from 3 am UK time.
