Jean-Marc Finot – no plans for Peugeot to leave the WEC
Stallantis’ Senior VP of Motorsport was upbeat about the Peugeot Hypercar’s progress and the brand’s commitment to the FIA WEC going forward.
“This is our third consecutive Le Mans with the 9X8,” he said. “Our car has always finished this race. We have good hopes that this year will be no exception.
“We did well at Spa, but we did well in other races as well. Of course, we our conscious that the Le Mans rule book is slightly different to the WEC rule book. It will be harder for us to shine, but we are going to fight to the best of our ability.
“Our race at Spa was not totally flawless – we made a few mistakes which impacted our race results. Our objective is to avoid making any mistakes throughout race week.”
Finot also confirmed that the French manufacturer has no plans to retire the 9X8 at the end of the season. “We are happy to compete in the WEC,” he added. “It’s a great Championship. It offers great marketing value, thanks to the quality of competition. We’ll remain in this Championship as long as we are competitive.”
Bruno Famin: Alpine “on a roll”
Alpine’s VP Bruno Famin is bullish about the team’s chances of a big result at Le Mans this year.
“Our team is on a roll,” he said. “We have significantly improved since last year and I think it starts to show in our results with three podium finishes over the past five races. We were in the lead at Spa and that was extremely satisfying.”
“That said, Le Mans is extremely specific. We have to be humble in the light of its complexity. We are surrounded by 19 or 20 other competitors that can reasonably hope for a good result.
“So we’re just going to stay focused and try to avoid making any mistakes. Our team’s objective is to ensure that we have no regrets when we take the chequered flag at 4pm on Sunday.”
Olivier Panis, a decade at Le Mans
“It’s our tenth year at Le Mans with an LMP2,” the former F1 driver said of his team Panis Racing. “Boy, time flies!
“Our ambition is obviously to win Le Mans. Our team is ready. We will keep on trusting several young drivers – it’s in Panis Racing’s DNA. Franck Perera is the most experienced of the lot. I’ve known him since I was in F1 with Toyota. Back in the day, Franck was one of Toyota’s test drivers… that’s how we met.”
The #48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA 07 Gibson is backed by Toyota Gazoo Racing this year. “That’s thanks to Esteban Masson,” Panis added.
“Toyota wants to train its young drivers in LMP2 before releasing them in the Hypercar category. It’s great that Toyota trusts us to that effect.”
Celia Martin’s first time at Le Mans
Iron Dames’ Bronze driver for this year, Celia Martin is lapping up the experience of being a rookie at the great French race.
“My story in motor racing starts 7 or 8 years ago,” she said. “I was 27 years old and I was struggling with raising an appropriate budget. That said, I had enough to start my career at the Nordschleife. I’ve learned a lot on that track, in particular with regard to dealing with rain and bad weather conditions. It could very well help me here.”
“Several years later, in 2023, I concluded a deal with Rahel Frey whereby she would agree to give me a test drive if I became a bronze driver. I became a bronze driver at the end of that season, and I tested with the Iron Dames. It went extremely well… and here I am today for my first 24 Hours of Le Mans ! It’s incredible !”
Vincent Vosse: Test Day important for BMW
WRT boss Vincent Vosse feels Sunday will be crucial for BMW and give the Hypercar team an indication of what to expect from the M Hybrid V8’s second race.
“We clearly tripped up at Le Mans last year. The car has massively improved since. We had some good results at the end of last season and in some races this season. That said, we don’t really know where we stand on this track given its uniqueness. We’ll have a first glimpse of what we can achieve during test day on Sunday.”
