– Since Emmanuel Esnault took over the role of Peugeot team principal in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the beginning of this year, he has been enjoying his new task.
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“At the moment, I’m trying to focus on getting to know people, understanding the historical aspect of every decision, and consolidating the existing things that work and understanding how we can improve the rest to achieve results,” Esnault explains in a conversation with Motorsport.com, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network.
For 2026, Peugeot has decided to leave the 9X8 almost unchanged despite new homologation, which was carried out in the Windshear wind tunnel in the US state of North Carolina. It is assumed that Peugeot has already used up its five Evo jokers (which already cover the period up to and including 2027) since the debut of the 9X8 in 2022.
Major technical changes to the car are therefore not possible. However, in the event of a “demonstrable significant performance deficit,” additional Evo jokers can be used, provided this is explicitly approved by the World Automobile Federation (FIA).
For now, Peugeot is focusing on making a “good start” to the late-starting 2026 WEC season. According to Esnault, they want to “build on the momentum” they had at the end of last year.
“We want to ensure that we start the season on the right foot, for the team spirit and to show the world that the results achieved so far do not correspond to the effort and expertise I have discovered internally. So let’s deliver now.”
“Technical solutions” in prospect
When asked if anything had been changed on the 9X8 for the new homologation in the wind tunnel, Esnault replies: “These are very minor changes. They only concerned differences in the wind tunnel, which are extremely minor. If you look at the car, it’s a few very small adjustments to ensure that the car stays within the performance window.”
Esnault, who was responsible for Lamborghini’s LMDh program before starting his duties at Peugeot (January 12), does not give any specific examples for the “minor” changes to the Peugeot 9X8: “I don’t have them all in my head, but they are only very minor changes. You can’t see any difference in photos.”
“The development of the car only concerns adjustments to the set-up to unlock performance. There are no new components related to specific homologation parameters. So these are technical solutions that I will not disclose, as we will be testing them in the coming days,” says Esnault.
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The test will take place in Portimao (Portugal) and does not require any changes to the car’s homologation. “We first have to see if it works, yes or no. Whether it unlocks performance, yes or no. And whether it is reliable enough to release it for long races,” says Esnault.
When asked which “technical solutions” he meant, the Peugeot team principal replied: “We have several options to choose from. But we will only talk about them once they have been approved and validated.”
“The beauty of this sport”
With the current car, Esnault primarily wants Peugeot to deliver “a clean performance without errors” and to use a “reliable car.” Another goal of the French team is to “work smoothly and not gamble away potential opportunities through strategy errors or wrong decisions by the drivers or the team.”
“It’s really about building on what we currently have. I won’t name a number, as this is impossible given the intensity of competition in this championship. The only thing that is certain is that seventh place in the overall standings is not the position this organization should occupy,” said the Peugeot team principal.
Although Peugeot achieved two podium finishes in the 2025 season, they still fell back to seventh place in the overall standings. Since 2022, there has been a downward trend in terms of the year-end ranking.
Photo gallery: All manufacturer and team world champions of the WEC since 2012
Esnault hopes to be able to reverse the Peugeot trend now: “As we have said many times, this racing series is extremely competitive. A small mistake or a decision that is not quite optimal can have a huge impact, first in qualifying and then during the race.”
Teams can pay the price for these mistakes, but “that’s why we love it,” Esnault emphasizes, adding: “That’s the beauty of this sport. It’s unpredictable. No one knows beforehand what the result of a particular race weekend will be.”
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When will the 2026 WEC season be a success in Esnault’s eyes? “If we don’t give away chances through sub-optimal decisions, if we are always ready to the point with the car, if we fully exploit the potential of the car, if we don’t make any mistakes during a complete race weekend, and if we are operationally well-positioned, then it will be a good year, a good season. And we will definitely finish better than P7 in the overall standings.”
