Paul di Resta, driver for the #93 Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar, has picked the 24 Hours of Le Mans as his top moment of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season.
Peugeot Sport endured a difficult 2023 campaign in what was their first full WEC season, after they debuted halfway through 2022 at Fuji.
Fielding the unique ‘no rear wing’ concept has proven challenging for Peugeot, having claimed only one podium in 2023 from a competitive outing at Monza.
Along with his teammates Jean-Eric Vergne and Mikkel Jensen, di Resta stood on the third podium spot in the #93 9X8.
The Scotsman, however, picked the Centenary Le Mans at his highlight of the season, which preceded the Italian race.
“Monza could be the obvious answer, standing on the podium, but honestly, driving the car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a good surprise giving the difficulties we had at the previous races.
“After a few races, I felt that it was going to be more of a struggle but when we started to get the car to grips it was really enjoyable to drive.
“The biggest moment this season was when we got to the point when we were almost racing in the game competitively and I felt like we made a huge step.”
During an action-packed Le Mans – specifically in damp, drying conditions – Peugeot found themselves setting the benchmark in terms of pace, even leading the race itself.
The use of winglets – rather than a typical rear wing – was part of an idea for the 9X8 to primarily generate mechanical grip rather than aerodynamic grip from a wing – so that the car would not suffice to the drawbacks of ‘dirty air’ – which is produced when following another car.
Whilst the top speeds at Le Mans made them competitive, it proved challenging elsewhere, as reliability was partial contributor to their subpar competitive form.
Their #93 entrant finished eighth at Le Mans behind the both Glickenhaus cars, as the sibling #94 finished 30 laps down on the race winner due to earlier barrier contact from Gustavo Menezes, which ensued a 20-minute pit stop repair job.
Recent social media footage at Circuit Paul Ricard has revealed Peugeot testing a rear wing addition.
It will likely be implemented as part of an ‘evolution’ update for the 9X8’s third WEC season.
Di Resta consolidated: “We were at the back since the start (of the 2023 season), and I think at this moment we understand the task that was ahead of us.
“It does not change how the journey was, we put as much effort in as we could, and during those moments, what I saw in the team was huge emotion, a lot of hard work, a crazy amount of work, especially when you think about what we had to do after the first race in Sebring.
“And when you put an element of success in the equation, like we had in Monza with the podium or when we finished Le Mans, it shows the human nature of people, the emotions were huge during those moments.
“It gave us a taste of how it could be with a bit more success.
“As a team we want to do better and I’m sure we will succeed collectively.”
