WEC Spa: Peugeot's Maiden Pole as Cadillac, Toyota, Ferrari Stumble
Peugeot Secures Historic First WEC Pole at Spa 6 Hours
In a remarkable display of resilience and speed, Malthe Jakobsen has clinched Peugeot’s maiden pole position in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) for the Spa 6 Hours. The Danish driver, piloting the #94 Peugeot 9X8, delivered a stunning performance in Friday's qualifying session, overcoming an early setback to secure the coveted top spot.
Despite an initial scare that saw him spin at Raidillon on his outlap during Q1 and flat-spot his tyres, Jakobsen showcased exceptional car control and determination. He managed to recover and set a blistering pace in the #94 Peugeot 9X8, ultimately edging out the #12 Jota Cadillac V-Series.R by a mere 0.043 seconds. This marks a significant milestone for the French manufacturer, highlighting their progress with the 9X8 programme which commenced in mid-2022. Prior to this, Peugeot had only managed a single front-row start.
The qualifying battle at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was intense, with Alpine Endurance Team featuring prominently throughout the two-part session. Charles Milesi had initially set the fastest time in Q1 and then established a new benchmark of 2m00.731s in the pole-deciding session. However, Jakobsen’s late surge in the final minutes of qualifying eclipsed Milesi’s effort. Will Stevens in the #12 Jota Cadillac, who had set a blistering pace in sector one, was unable to maintain that momentum across the entire lap on his worn tyres, ultimately settling for second place.
Hypercar Grid Highlights
The front of the Hypercar grid sees a strong showing from several manufacturers:
- Pole Position: #94 Peugeot Totalenergies (Peugeot 9X8) - L. Duval, M. Jakobsen, T. Pourchaire
- Second: #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA (Cadillac V-Series.R) - W. Stevens, N. Nato, L. Deletraz
- Third: #35 Alpine Endurance Team (Alpine A424) - A. Felix da Costa, C. Milesi, F. Habsburg
- Fourth: #36 Alpine Endurance Team (Alpine A424) - F. Makowiecki, J. Gounon, V. Martins
- Fifth: #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA (Cadillac V-Series.R) - E. Bamber, S. Bourdais, J. Aitken
Stevens secured second for the best of the Cadillac LMDh prototypes, with his teammate Jack Aitken lining up three spots behind in the sister #38 car. Alpine locked out the second row, with Jules Gounon placing the #36 A424 in fourth, just behind the #35 car driven by Milesi.
The Aston Martin Valkyrie LMHs from the Heart of Racing team will start sixth and seventh, following the #38 Cadillac. Marco Sorensen, who managed to bump the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of Sheldon van der Linde out of contention with a last-gasp effort in Q1, was the quicker of the two Aston Martins in the #009 car.
Only one Ferrari managed to progress to Q2, with Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari 499P qualifying in a relatively distant eighth place. He was followed by the #93 Peugeot 9X8 of Stoffel Vandoorne and the #15 WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 of Dries Vanthoor, rounding out the top ten.
Toyota endured a challenging qualifying session at Spa, especially considering their victory in the Imola season opener. Team principal and driver Kamui Kobayashi qualified 12th in the #07 GR010 Hybrid, missing out on Q2 by a mere three hundredths of a second. Brendon Hartley’s #8 car ended up second-to-last, ahead only of the #17 Genesis GMR-001.
Two of the three Ferrari LMHs were eliminated in the opening phase of qualifying. Robert Kubica's #83 AF Corse-run 499P was forced to pit with two minutes remaining, resulting in a 13th-place start. Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari 499P qualified further back in 15th after experiencing a significant slide on his final flying lap. The two Ferraris were separated by Mathieu Jaminet in the leading Genesis LMDh car.
Lexus Dominates LMGT3 Qualifying
In the LMGT3 category, Lexus emerged victorious, securing pole position ahead of Aston Martin. The 22-year-old Hadrien David set the fastest time in the Hyperpole session, showcasing the pace of the Lexus RC F GT3.
After Razvan Umbrarescu topped the initial qualifying session for bronze drivers in the #87 ASP Lexus RC F GT3, David went on to place the sister #78 entry at the top of the order in the decisive pole-deciding session. The Frenchman recorded a best time of 2m16.612s with just minutes remaining, narrowly beating the #27 Heart of Heart Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Zacharie Robichon by just under two tenths of a second.
Ben Tuck qualified the #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3 in third place, with the other Lexus, driven by Clemens Schmid, qualifying behind him. Giammarco Levorato completed a strong showing for Ford by setting the fifth-fastest time in the #88 Mustang. Simon Mann qualified sixth in the best of the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3s.
BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and Corvette each managed to get one car into the second leg of qualifying, filling out the remainder of the top 10.
Notably, neither of the two Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3s advanced to Q2. The #69 WRT BMW M4 GT3, which won the class at Imola, also struggled for pace, leaving it on the back row of the grid.
The Spa 6 Hours, widely considered the unofficial dress rehearsal for the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans, is scheduled to commence at 14:00 local time on Saturday.
Hypercar Qualifying Results (Top 10):
- Peugeot Totalenergies - #94 Peugeot 9X8
- Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA - #12 Cadillac V-Series.R
- Alpine Endurance Team - #35 Alpine A424
- Alpine Endurance Team - #36 Alpine A424
- Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA - #38 Cadillac V-Series.R
- Aston Martin THOR Team - #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie
- Aston Martin THOR Team - #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie
- Ferrari AF Corse - #50 Ferrari 499P
- Peugeot Totalenergies - #93 Peugeot 9X8
- BMW M Team WRT - #15 BMW M Hybrid V8
LMGT3 Qualifying Results (Top 10):
- AKKODIS ASP Team - #78 Lexus RC F GT3
- Heart of Racing Team - #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3
- Proton Competition - #77 Ford Mustang GT3
- AKKODIS ASP Team - #87 Lexus RC F GT3
- Proton Competition - #88 Ford Mustang GT3
- Vista AF Corse - #21 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo
- TEAM WRT - #32 BMW M4 GT3 Evo
- IRON LYNX - #61 Mercedes AMG GT3
- Manthey DK Engineering - #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R
- Racing Team Turkey by TF - #34 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R
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