Peugeot confirms drivers for Bahrain Rookie Test
Team Peugeot TotalEnergies has announced that rising young talents Théo Pourchaire and Clément Novalak will take to the wheel of its PEUGEOT 9X8 Hypercar during the FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test in Bahrain next month (3 November).
The Rookie Test has been a WEC staple since 2015, taking place the day after the final round of the campaign. This year, it will once again be held at the 5.412km Bahrain International Circuit, with five hours of running on the schedule.
In 2022 and 2023, Malthe Jakobsen was selected to participate in the test by Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, with the Dane impressing sufficiently to earn himself a race seat with the French outfit next year. French duo Pourchaire and Novalak will be aiming to produce a similarly strong display.
The former – a multiple F4 champion earlier in his career – finished runner-up in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2020 and went on to be crowned FIA Formula 2 Champion last season. The 21-year-old has since accumulated experience in both the Japanese Super Formula series and IndyCar in the USA, and has been a Formula 1 test and reserve driver for the past three campaigns.
“I am very happy to be able to drive the 9X8 with Team Peugeot TotalEnergies in Bahrain,” commented Grasse native Pourchaire, the youngest race-winner in Formula 2 history. “It will be a new experience for me as it will be the first time I have driven an endurance car, which is almost a completely different sport compared to what I have been used to.
“I’m excited to discover the FIA World Endurance Championship. I think it’s a dream for every driver to compete in this championship one day, especially at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is the greatest race in the world. Having this first experience in endurance racing is fantastic, and I’m looking forward to returning to Bahrain, a circuit I particularly love. It’s a great track and with a very powerful car, it will be an amazing opportunity.”
Countryman Novalak also arrives with a strong résumé. The 23-year-old lifted the BRDC British Formula 3 Championship laurels in 2019, and finished third overall in FIA Formula 3 in 2021. A race-winner in Formula 2, he has recently shifted his focus towards endurance racing, contesting the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series this season and finishing on the podium both at Mugello and on his maiden appearance at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“I’m extremely happy to join Team Peugeot TotalEnergies for the Bahrain Rookie Test,” Novalak enthused. “It’s an important step in my transition from single-seaters to endurance racing. I couldn’t dream of a better team, given its incredible history in the discipline, with which to make my debut in the Hypercar category. I’m really looking forward to learning as much as possible from such an experienced team during what promises to be a very informative and enriching day for me.”
“For Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, the Rookie Test brings a fresh perspective, even though re-conditioning the cars after the race requires a lot of work from the entire team,” added Peugeot Sport Technical Director, Olivier Jansonnie. “It is always very motivating and rewarding to see young drivers arrive with wide eyes as they discover the team and the car.
“We have selected two different profiles. Théo is single-seater oriented with an already impressive track record, while Clément has more endurance experience with notable results in ELMS – his statistics in the discipline impressed us. It is always very interesting for us to get technical feedback from new drivers, and they will be guided by Paul di Resta and Malthe Jakobsen, who also went through this process before being appointed full-time.”
