Paul di Resta: “The most important thing is never to give up”
Paul di Resta is looking forward to the 6 Hours of Fuji after clinching a maiden podium finish for Peugeot TotalEnergies at Monza.
The British driver of the No. 93 9X8 reflects on the hardships and the long sleepless nights that led to the French team’s upturn in form.
For the first time since their return to the premier class of endurance racing and the inception of the 9X8 programme, the French outfit climbed on the podium after finishing a mighty third at the 6 Hours of Monza last July. Mikkel Jensen, Jean-Eric Vergne and Paul di Resta delivered a near-flawless drive with the No. 93 to finish in the same lap as the winning Toyota No. 7 and the second-placed Ferrari No. 50.
“It was an amazing thing to achieve, given the difficulties we've had since the 9X8 hit the track”, added Paul. “But the most important thing was never to give up, to keep pushing as hard as we could. And I think there was a sense of relief at Monza that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel and that we can continue to focus on developing this car and the team, to try and go win races. But when you see the passion and how everyone reacted after the podium, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again at Fuji and hopefully, this has lifted the spirits to dig extra deep.”
The former Formula 1 driver with Force India (2011-2013) and Williams (2017) believes that returning to a track where the 9X8 had made its debut means that the team could only improve. “I think that was one of the biggest things that helped us”, explained Paul. “Because we had that data, we didn't start from zero. We went very aggressive into the race. And I think at some point, early on, we realized that we were in a strong position. I think we optimized as much as we could. Everyone did a very good job and, when everyone does a very good job, you can see now that you have a chance of finishing on a podium.”
From the 9X8’s struggling debut at Monza in 2022 (33rd place for the No. 94, retirement for the No. 93) to P3 at the Temple of Speed one year on, Peugeot have had their fair share of hardships getting to grips with their spectacular wingless Hypercar. The 9X8 had neither the pace nor the reliability to compete with their rivals for race wins. Paul mentions “the long tireless and sleepless nights, the tests we go to and the issues we had'' in Peugot’s pursuit to better understand the 9X8. The Scot believes that the team had a major breakthrough during a testing session after the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, notably in optimising the software of the car. “We really had a very good couple of days, understanding the potential of the car better. And I think we then were able to put that to good use at Le Mans, where you could see the performance was better. And we managed to put that to use again for Monza. It's just about understanding the tools that we had in the toolbox. Reliability is getting better too. There are of course still issues. Things will need to be tested all the way through it as best as we can.”
If Peugeot keep on delivering on race tracks the 9X8 had already gone before, then one can expect another strong showing when the Lions take on the 6 Hours of Fuji. “I'm looking forward to get racing again after the summer break and hopefully trying to carry some momentum”, underlines Paul. “Obviously, Fuji is a good place to go on the WEC calendar and somewhere we enjoy racing. Again, it's another track that we've driven at last year, which hopefully should help us a bit. The dream is always to have cars fighting for the win, but let's not run before we walk. Back-to-back podiums would be a massive achievement for a team like ours at the moment.”
Peugeot TotalEnergies are currently fifth in the Hypercar Constructors’ standings, but are chasing Porsche and Cadillac for third place with Toyota and Ferrari clear at the top.
“You have to give credit to the other manufacturers for what they achieved”, said Paul. “It just gives us ambitions to come back, fight them, throw some hard punches at them as much as we can and, hopefully, get our hands on a Le Mans trophy.” The Scot claimed a LMP2 class win in La Sarthe, with United Autosports’ No. 22 in 2020. Anyway, should Peugeot keep bridging the gap separating them from the Hypercar pace-setters, we may just have a constructors championship for the ages next year.
Still, let’s not forget that the Versailles outfit has yet to complete its first full FIA WEC season and that 2024 will see even more carmakers bolstering an already packed Hypercar class. “It's massive”, adds Paul. “The entry list already this year was impressive, and when you see the lineup for next year… On-track battles will be unknown going into every weekend. It's just incredible and it's gonna be crazy. I'm really looking forward to it. More competition is great for the sport.”
