The rules have changed during what has been a turbulent period for the FIA and ACO, and Peugeot was unable to react as quickly to the changes as its arch rival, Toyota
Peugeot has bowed to the inevitable with the updated version of its FIA World Endurance Championship contender, called the 9X8 2024. As expected, the Hypercar has been equipped with a rear wing as part of a major upgrade package for the first time.
The previous 9X8 relied upon underfloor aero and a front weight bias with the car that debuted at Monza in 2022. The final race for that car was the opening round of the 2024 season in Qatar in March as the update was not yet homologated. Now good to go, the revised 9X8 is a very different beast.
The old car was an extreme design, pushing the limits of the regulations as they were written when the concept was devised. However, the rules have changed during what has been a turbulent period for the FIA and ACO, and Peugeot was unable to react as quickly to the changes as its arch rival, Toyota.
That is not to say the first generation 9X8 was obsolete. It was running second in Qatar before it ran out of fuel, but it proved difficult to balance it against the competition due to its very different design philosophy. The updated car is a more traditional winged prototype concept, although the team behind it is proud of the fact it still
