“Handcuffed” by BoP, Peugeot drivers feel hopeless for…

World Endurance Championship competitors aren’t normally allowed to talk about the Balance of Performance, which aims at creating a level playing field, but ahead of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Peugeot Hypercar squad is having a hard time thinking of anything else.

“It's got your hands tied, and you're handcuffed,” is the way Paul di Resta sees things after his team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne qualified the #93 Peugeot in 18th for the French classic, out of 20 Hypercar entrants – right behind the sister #94 car, and more than two and a half seconds away from the fastest time.

This is a direct consequence of the BoP which has been set for Le Mans, with Peugeot having the worst power-to-weight ratio of all constructors. Compared to the previous round at Spa-Francorchamps, the 9X8 prototype has to be 9kg heavier and has lost 13kW in terms of power (17.4hp).

Le Mans veteran Loic Duval said the logical conclusion from those figures was that the Peugeot was “the best car in the field”, hardly concealing the irony in his remark.

“It’s tough,” Vergne lamented. “It’s many years of preparation, a huge amount of work from the team, from the drivers. Being here to make up the numbers is a bit hard to swallow for me. I’m not that kind of driver.”

Asked by Motorsport.com if he had brought up the issue with the FIA or if he was leaving diplomatic talks to his team bosses, Vergne emotionally replied: “I put my heart and soul into fighting this, I tried everything at my level – talking with decision-makers, understanding their point of view…

#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Jean-Eric Vergne, #94 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Stoffel Vandoorne (Photo by: Andreas Beil)

“I gave it all, tried it all – in the car, out of the car. Even though it’s been a very tricky week for me, I’m not giving up. I’ve been giving it all and I’ll keep giving it all in the race.”

This is something the Peugeot drivers have in common. It wouldn’t be surprising for them to be somewhat demoralised, but Stoffel Vandoorne says they’re still “lucky” to take part in that “beautiful race” at Circuit de la Sarthe.

“I'm having fun out there and I just want to leave this weekend with no regrets, knowing that I've given everything I could – and that's all I can do,” the Belgian added.

Meanwhile, Di Resta insisted: “The motivation is always there. I owe that to Peugeot and I owe that to myself.

“As a driver, you fight all the way. I don't think anybody is just going to go out there and easily give up, because your reputation is on the line.

“Like I say, I owe it to every person in the team, and I think everybody in the team owes it to me. You win and lose together, and I hope that we will have some winning times together, because I think we deserve it.”

#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9x8: Paul Di Resta (Photo by: Nikolaz Godet)

Winning times might be needed for Peugeot to retain Vergne’s services in the future, with his contract ending at the end of the season. The two-time Formula E champion hinted at potentially exploring other avenues in WEC if he doesn’t get guarantees that the French manufacturer will have a chance to be more competitive in the future.

“After Le Mans, we’ll sit down and the team will tell me all about its plans for the future, then I’ll make a decision,” Vergne said. “But what’s for sure is, if I stay, I’m staying to win. Making up the numbers is not in my DNA.”

Additional reporting by Téha Courbon