After an emotional Fratelli d’Italia sung a cappella in front of more than 65,000 tifosi, the 36 cars lined up for six hours of racing on the narrow Imola circuit under a cloudy sky.
Both PEUGEOT 9X8s gained one position at the start. Paul Di Resta (#93) completed the first lap in 6th place, while Loïc Duval (#94) was 10th at his first pass down the pit straight. The two Team Peugeot TotalEnergies drivers fiercely defended their positions on track until their first pit stop (laps 34 and 36).
Slightly delayed in the pit lane by another car, Paul Di Resta’s first stop was longer than expected, and he rejoined in 11th. Around 20 laps later, the #93 was hit by a rival Hypercar and spun, dropping to 14th place. Paul fought back to 12th before handing the wheel over to Jean-Eric Vergne.
Meanwhile, the #94 moved into the top 10 after its first stop, but then received a 10-second penalty for contact earlier in the race. Malthe Jakobsen took over the wheel of the #94 Peugeot 9X8 in 14th place and put in a string of rapid laps, catching the leaders and climbing back into the top 10 by mid-race.
After a series of intense double stints, ending under a helpful Virtual Safety Car (VSC) that benefited the pit strategies of both PEUGEOT 9X8s, Malthe and Jean-Eric handed the cars over to Stoffel Vandoorne (#94) and Mikkel Jensen (#93) for the final run. The two French Hypercars were on different tire strategies: four brand new medium tires for the #94, and four medium tires previously scrubbed in Qualifying for the #93.
Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport
“The #94 unfortunately had a problem after the final pit stop and couldn’t get past the #5 Porsche at the end. After the #93’s spin caused by another car, it was tough to get back into the race, and we weren’t lucky with the Safety Car. It’s a mixed result overall, with strong qualifying sessions, but some disappointment in the race. We weren’t able to slot into the right packs of cars, and on a circuit like Imola where overtaking is so difficult, that prevented us from achieving a better result today, despite improved pace on a clear track.”
Loïc Duval (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94)
“Starting from 11th is never easy, but I got a good launch in the pack. We were on a slightly different strategy, fuel-saving to extend the first stint as much as possible. Unfortunately, we got a 10-second penalty for contact. My second stint was good, with some tire degradation, but the car was quite consistent and competitive.”
Mikkel Jensen (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93)
“I saw some drops on the windshield at the start of my stint, while I was on four medium tires. In the end, the rain never came, so it was the right call. P9 isn’t a great result, but the midfield is so close that a small strategic mistake can easily drop you from 5th to 15th.”