This weekend at the 6 Hours of Barcelona, a new chapter will start in the career of Alex Quinn as the Briton makes his Hypercar debut aboard the #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8.
It’s the latest development in a 2026 full of success for the Briton, who has scored class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Petit Le Mans with CrowdStrike Racing by APR, as well as the IMSA SportsCar Championship and Michelin Endurance Cup LMP2 titles.
On top of this, the 25-year-old is also a winner in the European Le Mans Series with Nielsen Racing, making for quite the trophy cabinet for a driver whose career appeared in serious jeopardy only four years ago.
An opportunity with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports in the 2023 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup offered Quinn the opportunity to establish himself as a sportscar driver, and after three years of showcasing his talent in LMP2, an outing for Peugeot at the 2025 FIA WEC Rookie Test contributed to the Briton being signed on as a Development Driver for this season.
This has all led to Quinn signing a multi-year agreement to become a race driver from 2027 onwards, with this deal starting two events early following Stoffel Vandoorne’s mid-season departure from Stellantis as the Belgian prepares to return to Formula E.
Although Quinn’s factory drive was only announced last week, the news was met with relief instead of surprise by the 25-year-old, who can now speak openly about an achievement he’s known of for the majority of 2026.
“I’ve actually known for quite a long time, so it’s been hard keeping it in,” Quinn tells DSC.
“Of course, my family have known, so we’ve been able to get a bit excited about it for a while now. It’s something I’m really proud of. Of course, we haven’t even started yet, and it’s a big challenge. I want to do a good job.
“I think it’s probably the best place I could be to start my career in Hypercar. They’re bringing a new development, and it’s going to be also a new development for me, so it’s a good time, and I think we can hopefully build together. By no means do I want this to be a one-off. I want to build and it to be a bright future for both of us together as a team.
“It’s been a long career and not an easy one. I’m not from a very wealthy family. I’ve had to sit a few years out in some cases, and my career really took off again when I went over to do IMSA in 2023, and I don’t know whether it’s luck or just a coincidence to find myself in a good place at the right time and to be able to prove myself, and that all led to this moment. It’s been a special year.”
This IMSA chance came about thanks to Ben Keating, who was looking for a Silver-rated driver to join him for his LMP2 programme.
“I started [LMP2 racing] in IMSA thanks to Ben Keating, who was the Bronze and took me on,” Quinn explains.
“I did one test day with him, which was kind of like a shootout, and that was my chance after sitting a couple of years out to get back into it. He gave me the chance, and any success I’ve had, Ben has sent me a message to say well done, and I’ve always thanked him.
“I’ve thanked him in a way that said I wouldn’t be here without you. I wouldn’t have, and that’s the same with this latest Peugeot deal. I wouldn’t have got that without Ben because I probably would still be sat at home.”
Quinn’s 2023 IMSA campaign ended with back-to-back podium finishes at Watkins Glen and Petit Le Mans, with his personal performances leading the FIA to upgrade his ranking to Gold, a change which has proven catastrophic to the momentum of several careers.
Fortunately for Quinn, Algarve Pro Racing offered him an opportunity despite his Gold status, a relationship which has gone on to pay dividends for both driver and team.
“I was taken under the wing of APR and Stewart [Cox, team principal], and it’s been like a family to me,” Quinn continues. “I spent 2024 with them, my first year as a Gold, and finished vice-champion in the ELMS, and then same again last year.
“Then I integrated into their IMSA programme throughout that time, filling in for the odd race, doing some testing, and getting a relationship with George Kurtz. Then this year has just been fantastic, and it’s flown by, that’s for sure. I can’t believe this is my third year in LMP2 [with APR], but it’s been special, and of course this year was even more special.”
As well as with Algarve Pro Racing, another key relationship that Quinn has developed over the past few years has been with Kriton Lendoudis. So much so that the Briton moved with Lentoudis to Nielsen Racing for this season, in both the Asian Le Mans Series and European Le Mans Series.
“Kriton’s been very good to me throughout my time in LMP2,” Quinn says.
“[2024 co-driver] Richard Bradley needs a good little mention here because he taught me so much, but also understood that I had some good pace. He was more than happy to help me develop, finish the race and lead the car, but still learn from him and his experience in LMP2. So that was very useful, and I’ve always taken that on to my later times in LMP2.”
Compared to the privateer outfits of Nielsen Racing and APR, and the comparatively simple ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2, his growing role within the Peugeot TotalEnergies stable and its 9X8 Hypercar programme has forced Quinn to once again undertake a steep learning curve.
“First of all, just getting integrated into the team and getting to know everyone, that’s a big part of it,” Quinn explains.
“It’s completely new faces to me. There’s a lot of staff, so that’s again new to me, but I’ve really enjoyed that side of it. They’re all lovely people, all very friendly, all very helpful. So that’s been great, and that’s helped my development as well.”
As Development Driver, Quinn hasn’t been present at any races with Peugeot so far this season, but has instead been focused on testing and simulator work as the French marque looks to climb up the Hypercar pecking order with a revised package and line-up, which will also feature Robert Shwartzman as a new addition, in 2027.
“I’ve completed two tests at Portimão, both 24-hour tests,” Quinn says. “One in the current car, and then one with a few of the things they’re bringing next year, so it’s been really good.
“And then I’ve been in the factory from time to time on the simulator. Their simulator is amazing. It’s helped me massively when I have then got in the car to get up to speed quickly.
“The difference between LMP2 and the Hypercars mostly is the systems. In the sim, they run all the systems exactly how they would in the real car. I haven’t been at any of the races, but I’ve kept up to date with everything, so if I was needed, for example, I would be ready.”
Despite having this testing under his belt, Quinn is under no illusion that he is just at the start of his learning programme with the Peugeot 9X8 and the Hypercar category.
“It’s going to be a learning curve for sure,” he admits. “I feel like even the experienced guys are still learning so much, so without a doubt I’ll be learning and taking it all in throughout every race and practice session.
“I think it’s important for me to manage that as well as I can. We’re all race car drivers. We all can drive cars well, but it’s the stuff on top of that, like the systems and the little quirky bits of setup and anything like that, that I’ll be learning, and that will be the area that I think I’ll really have to focus on.
“It’s a different kind of racing the way we can develop parts and stuff like that, whereas LMP2 is a spec class, so that side of it will, I think, be important, and somewhere where I’ll hope to use this part of my brain to have on the side, and also while I’m doing that, focus on doing a good job on the important bit, the driving.”
The cockpit of a Peugeot 9X8 is unlikely to be the only place that we see Quinn next season, with the 25-year-old also harbouring ambitions to join the selection of Hypercar drivers who compete in a parallel LMP2 programme to help stay fresh.
“I’ve enjoyed it non-stop,” Quinn says of his LMP2 days. “It’s an amazing car. Every championship you do is amazing.
“Nothing’s confirmed yet, but I absolutely hope to be racing an LMP2 again. What championship that might be, we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s definitely something I want to do.
“Especially because this is my first year in Hypercar, there’ll be a lot to learn there, so I think it’s good for me to have another programme in LMP2. Somewhere I know I can do well, and somewhere I know I have the experience. Not even as a side programme because LMP2 is so competitive these days, but just to have as a dual programme.”
Quinn will make his Hypercar debut in this weekend’s FIA WEC 6 Hours of Barcelona, piloting the #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 alongside Nick Cassidy and Paul Di Resta.
Images courtesy of David Lord, Peugeot TotalEnergies, Martin W Spetz and Asian Le Mans Series
