The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be “at full throttle all the time”, predicts Peugeot boss Jean-Marc Finot

FIA WEC – 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS 2024 Florent Gooden – DPPI

Back last year, the French manufacturer dominated the start of the night, quite unexpectedly. With a reinvented 9×8, more efficient, even if it is not yet a favorite, the director of Stellantis Motorsport intends to see his two crews playing at the front until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

These 24 Hours of Le 2024 attracted fourteen different manufacturers, it’s unprecedented. By what magic ?

Jean-Marc Finot, director of Stellantis Motorsport. DPPI

There is, in my opinion, a conjunction of elements. Compared to previous LMP1s, the regulations are more intelligent, significantly less expensive; the budgets remain substantial but much more reasonable. The rally is a bit of a challenge, more expensive than a world endurance championship. There is also a certain magic of it and of this type of car. We have done surveys which show that generation Z is more attracted by these cars than by other motorsport cars. They have character, they are found in many video games, which makes it easier to attract partners and further reduce budgets.

When we stack all this up, apart from Formula 1, which is in another economic dimension and another visibility, it is the championship which appears the most attractive for manufacturers.

𝒟ℯ𝒶𝓇 ℋ𝓎𝓅ℯ𝓇𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓈, see you in 2️⃣2️⃣ days ! #Lemans24 #WEC pic.twitter.com/h7LZWw8OfM

— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) May 24, 2024

Le Mans is the highlight. With a planetary impact ?

When I presented the file to the board, we had resumed an investigation from National Geographicon the big events to see once in your life. It was Le Mans, the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup. We are at this level of notoriety.

Your relationship with Le Mans is an old story, was that another reason to return there last year?

Peugeot benefits from a fantastic love rating, we already have the "ola" when we take the car out for weighing. Last year, we were lucky enough to be in the lead during the 8 p.m. news, which was a great opportunity in terms of notoriety. And each time the car passed the stands in front, the spectators in the grandstand stood up and applauded!

You are a general manufacturer who faces sports car specialists, Ferrari, Porsche, etc. who are not your competitors on the automobile market…

When we decided to go there, we joined Toyota, which had been there alone for several years. The specialists came later.

Afterwards, we chose to go into endurance because it’s in Peugeot’s DNA. We raced quite a bit there and won the 24 Hours three times. Because we needed a laboratory to make technological developments in terms of hybridization and electrification; because the regulation means that we have found a correct economic equation, taking into account visibility. There is of course a lot of emotion, but it’s a business operation.

We are very happy for the notoriety and image of Peugeot to be able to fight against big brands. We recently saw in a survey, in terms of global awareness, that we had approximately 60% recognition of the Peugeot brand, but that Peugeot joined the prestige brands among motorsport enthusiasts, notably through his perseverance. We've been doing motorsport at the highest level for forty years.

Let Lego dedicate a box of its adult sets to your car, dedicate that ?

We sold several hundred thousand! A good commercial operation and a very good marketing operation, we have Peugeots in offices and bedrooms all over the planet!

You spent a few hours ahead last year, but a new car arrived this spring: how are you approaching these 24 hours? nbsp;?

We always have a lot of doubts obviously, because we are paranoid and we wonder what could break on the car before the end of an endurance event. But the 2024 car has clearly progressed in performance and consistency, the drivers are more inclined to go for the limits, the relays are more stable. We hope to fight among the front runners  depending on what will be allocated to us (Editor's note, for each race and according to the results, the power and the weight of each car are adjusted by the championship organizers, this is the BOP, "balance of performance").

🎙️A word with @nico_mueller after yesterday’s race;#PEUGEOT9X8 #WEC #6HSpa pic.twitter.com/fHXOMGwToh

— Peugeot Sport (@peugeotsport) May 12, 2024

How have you used this time, since May 11, precisely ?

We completed a test session at Magny-Cours, in Le Mans configuration, to make adjustments and then there is the preparation of the cars.

Do you expect unbridled 24 hours, given the competition?

It’s difficult to anticipate, there can be so many hazards, including the weather, which we saw last year that it had been one of the main actors. It will be very close between all the cars, many will stay in the same lap for a very long time and we expect to compete in a 24-hour sprint. In fact, cars have become so reliable and optimized that there is no need to spare the mechanics, it's at full throttle all the time.< /p>

FIA WEC – 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS 2024 Frédéric Le Floc'h – DPPI

You are no longer the only French team, Alpine joined you at the start of 2024. It is rare to see the two French giants face to face ;rsquo;automobile, it makes for a great duel…

In fact, at this level, we are more friends than adversaries, we would rather have collusion, with a somewhat common cultural framework. We know each other well, Bruno Famin (Alpine boss) was Peugeot Sport not so long ago. What would be nice would be if a French car won or make a podium, even if we would prefer it to be a Peugeot!

Zidane at the flag, The Doctor at the wheel

Which of the two will raise the clamor of the public, the 1998 world football champion or the nine-time king of MotoGP ? A piece on Zinedine Zidane, starter of the 24 Hours, who will release at 4 p.m. 62 cars in the starting straight. Valentino Rossi will be an official BMW driver, entered in an M4 and recent second in the 6 Hours of Imola, on April 21, the Doctor's first podium on four wheels.

In this GT3 category, BMW is one of the favorites alongside Porsche and Ferrari, Corvette and Aston Martin, facing debutants McLaren and Lexus, Ford and Lamborghini. Also note, the presence of an F1 world champion, Jenson Button, the three French ex-F1 players Jean-Éric Vergne (Peugeot), Sébastien Bourdais (Cadillac) and Romain Grosjean (Lamborghini), all in the running for scratch victory.

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