Team Peugeot TotalEnergies left the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya without points after its two 9X8 Hypercars finished 12th and 13th in the penultimate round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship. Rain just before the start helped both cars move forward from the back half of the grid, and Paul Di Resta briefly led. Once the track dried, the team dropped back to what it calls its current level of performance.

Rain shakes up the start

Rain arrived only minutes before the start of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s second-to-last round of the season. None of the teams had any reference running on a wet track at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, so everyone had to adapt on the spot. The organisers added an extra formation lap, but there were still several incidents in the opening laps.

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies started from well down the order. Loïc Duval lined up 15th in the #94 PEUGEOT 9X8 and Paul Di Resta 17th in the #93 car. Both used the conditions to move forward.

Di Resta briefly at the front

Visibility was poor and the race was neutralised twice, but both drivers made up several places early on. After the first hour, Di Resta had climbed to sixth. Running a slightly different strategy from the cars around him, the Scot then led the race for a few moments, according to the team.

The track slowly dried, so both 9X8s switched to slick tyres, and conditions kept improving all the way to the chequered flag.

A neutralisation ends the top-10 fight

The #93 car was fighting for a top-10 place when a neutralisation just over two hours from the finish left it a lap down on the leaders. Di Resta, Nick Cassidy and Alex Quinn finished 12th. Duval, Malthe Jakobsen and Théo Pourchaire took 13th in the sister car, just behind them.

Team principal Emmanuel Esnault said the wet opening phase played into the team’s hands, but the dry running exposed where the car currently stands:

“The conditions at the start of the race gave us some good overtaking opportunities and allowed us to stay in the fight, with both cars making encouraging progress through the field. When the track dried, we returned to a position more in line with our current level of performance.”

Duval pointed to tyre wear. “Unfortunately, we suffered from tyre degradation on this circuit, which is particularly demanding in this respect,” he said. “From then on, we were lacking a little pace compared with the frontrunners, but it is encouraging nonetheless.”

Cassidy said the Spanish track does not suit the 9X8 well and expects the season finale to be a better fit. “We will obviously analyze this race and I think we will come back stronger in Monza, a circuit that should better suit the strengths of our car,” he said.

Experience for new arrival Quinn

Alex Quinn, the team’s newest driver, used the weekend to learn what a full FIA WEC race weekend demands. The team says the British driver gained a better understanding of driving a Hypercar in race conditions. Esnault praised how quickly he has fitted in: “he immediately settled into the team and demonstrated his speed, maturity and ability to adapt.”

What it means

Peugeot leaves Spain without points, though the team says it still gained useful learnings. The season ends at Monza, the circuit where the 9X8 made its FIA WEC debut in 2022, so the finale is a return to where the programme started.

Facts: Team Peugeot TotalEnergies at Barcelona

  • Event: FIA WEC, second-to-last round of the 2026 season, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
  • #93 PEUGEOT 9X8: Paul Di Resta / Nick Cassidy / Alex Quinn. Started 17th (Di Resta), finished 12th
  • #94 PEUGEOT 9X8: Loïc Duval / Malthe Jakobsen / Théo Pourchaire. Started 15th (Duval), finished 13th
  • Conditions: Wet start, then a drying track; two neutralisations early in the race
  • Next round: Monza, 8 November, the eighth and final round of the 2026 season

The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship ends at Monza on 8 November.

Source: clouddigital.fr