Peugeot set to field two drivers in at least one Spa 6 Hours entry
The French manufacturer has revealed that the only candidate to replace Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, who will be on Formula E duty in Berlin that weekend for sister marque DS with Penske, is Malthe Jakobsen.
The 20-year-old Dane was announced last summer by Peugeot last year as its WEC junior driver, a role in which he carries out test and reserve duties.
Jean-Mart Finot, who is motorsport boss for all the brands within the Stellantis group, has stressed that no decisions have been made on how it will shuffle its line-up for the Spa 6 Hours on 11 May.
But he has insisted that bringing in drivers from outside to join Nico Muller and Mikkel Jensen in the #93 9X8 and Paul di Resta and Loic Duval in #94 is not in the plan.
âWe will not be looking outside of the Peugeot family â we are a team,â he said. âIt would not be relevant to bring in a new driver just for one race.â
On the question of Jakobsen filling one of the vacant seats, he stated: âWe will see; we have time to decide.
Two drivers in both cars is, he added, “feasibleâ.
#93 Peugeot Totalenergies Peugeot 9X8: Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller, Jean-Eric Vergne
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Finot stressed that there was no chance of Vergne or Vandoorne skipping Berlin to race at Spa with Peugeot.
âFor us, it is very easy to make a decision: without drivers, the DS cars cannot run,â he said.
Muller will be racing a 9X8 at Spa because his Peugeot contract takes precedence over his deal to race for the Abt Cupra squad in FE.
Toyota drivers Sebastien Buemi and Nyck de Vries and BMWâs Robin Frijns will, like Muller, have to miss at least the Saturday race at Berlin to fulfil their WEC commitments.
Jota Porsche driver Norman Nato and Lamborghiniâs Edoardo Mortara are understood to be contractually committed to their respective FE teams, Andretti and Mahindra, on the weekend of the only clash between the two series this year.
The Ganassi-run Cadillac team has already stated that it intends to run two drivers, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, in the six-hour WEC races this year.
It believes that extra seat time can result in a performance advantage.
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