Peugeot frustrated by its starting position at Fuji
However, comfortable with changing conditions, Peugeot completely missed out on its qualifications, on a track that was becoming increasingly slippery. The Lionesses will start in 10th and 11th position.
Playing at the outposts is likely to be complicated. About two months after the podium achieved at Monza, Peugeot completely missed the first Fuji appointment – the qualifications. In Japan, the two French cars finished far behind Toyota, occupying the first two positions.
Relegated to 2 and 4 seconds behind the leader, the two Lionesses did not take advantage of the changing conditions, which had allowed them to take the lead at Le Mans in early June.
Tires not in the proper operating window
« Our qualifying session is not up to our expectations, we finish P10 and P11. The difficulty is that we were unable to find the right operating window for the tires on both cars, especially on #94, where we had to change the tires due to wheel lock. The rain then arrived, preventing us from setting a good lap time. The stakes will be different tomorrow, and the difficulties encountered in the qualifying session will no longer be relevant on a race pace, Jean-Marc Finot, head of Stellantis motorsport, explains.
From now on, the two teams will focus on the race, which is expected to take place on dry ground. While Toyota is seen as the favorite with eight wins out of nine races, Peugeot has the potential to climb up the rankings. However, Porsche appears to be the outsider of the weekend and could give the other competitors a run for their money.
