WEC
Simon Pagenaud post Spa event newsletter
Spa-Francorchamps circuit
Edited: Jun 1, 2018, 12:58 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
ENCOURAGING FOR LE MANS
Qualifying was interrupted early into the session following a red flag incident which deprived the new Peugeot 908s of a chance to post a flying lap. As a result, Simon Pagenaud’s car was forced to start from 18th position on the grid, but the race soon provided an eloquent glimpse of the competitive potential of the French make’s latest endurance racing challenger.
It was very positive as we prepare for Le Mans.
Simon Pagenaud
From the start, Simon’s team-mate Sébastien Bourdais began to slice his way through the field to complete the opening lap in fourth place! Pedro Lamy was next in the car and, two-and-a-half hours into the race, the N°9 Peugeot was up to second spot, sandwiched between the other two factory 908s.
Lamy covered three stints, but a mistake unfortunately dropped him back from second place. Simon Pagenaud then took over the wheel but lost all hope of making it an all- Peugeot podium when he was forced to make a pit-stop to replace the car’s front-right corner. Bourdais, Lamy and Pagenaud ended up crossing the line in eighth place, while Simon gave an illustration of his speed by posting the fastest race lap. Peugeot’s onetwo finish confirmed that the new 908 is competitive and that the team is capable of beating its big rival, Audi. That’s an encouraging pointer ahead of June’s Le Mans 24 Hours, although there is still a great deal of work to be done if the team is to repeat its triumph of two years ago...
Simon Pagenaud and Sébastien Bourdais
Photo by: DPPI
SIMON PAGENAUD
“It was a very interesting race which gave us a chance to see where we stand in comparison with the Audis. We were able to work on the set-up of the 908 and our engineers came up with some useful ideas thanks to the feedback they got from all the team’s drivers. I am globally pleased with the weekend. It was very positive as we prepare for Le Mans. Not only did Peugeot come first and second but we also succeeded in collecting lots of valuable data. In wasn’t our day in the N°9 car, however. That said, Le Mans promises to be a very different picture altogether and I hope we will be more successful in la Sarthe. We can hardly wait to get to Le Mans and I believe we will see a very close fight between the Audi and Peugeot crews. We are all in tip-top shape.”
-source: simon-pagenaud.com
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Next article Toyota Le Mans prototype has support from ORECA for 2012
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Sébastien Bourdais
"FIA rating pushes drivers like me into retirement" - Sebastien Bourdais
WEC
WEC
Bahrain
21 h
"FIA rating pushes drivers like me into retirement" - Sebastien Bourdais
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
IMSA
IMSA
Bourdais, Moss headline second batch of Sebring's 75 all-time greatest drivers
The unselfish anchor behind Jack Aitken’s first IMSA GTP title, Earl Bamber reflects on 2026 campaign
IMSA
IMSA
Petit Le Mans
The unselfish anchor behind Jack Aitken’s first IMSA GTP title, Earl Bamber reflects on 2026 campaign
Latest news
Ferrari slow on straights, struggling in corners: ‘One of the worst feelings’ for Charles Leclerc
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
35 min
Ferrari slow on straights, struggling in corners: ‘One of the worst feelings’ for Charles Leclerc
Brodie Kostecki wins Sandown to advance to Supercars finale
Supercars
SUPC Supercars
Sandown 500
51 min
Brodie Kostecki wins Sandown to advance to Supercars finale
Racing Bulls promises "right decision" as Liam Lawson's F1 future remains in doubt
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
Racing Bulls promises "right decision" as Liam Lawson's F1 future remains in doubt
Kaden Honeycutt: "I put my nuts on the dash" to win Homestead and NASCAR Truck title
NASCAR Truck
NSTR NASCAR Truck
Homestead
7 h
Kaden Honeycutt: "I put my nuts on the dash" to win Homestead and NASCAR Truck title
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe