Formula E star Nick Cassidy is nearing confirmation of a drive with a Stellantis-powered team for next season after being announced for a World Endurance Championship outing with Peugeot.

The Kiwi’s exit from Jaguar TCS Racing was formally announced at the end of Season 11, which ended with Cassidy winning both races in the double-header finale in London.

Rumours have pointed towards the likelihood that Cassidy will join a Stellantis team, most likely the Maserati MSG Racing, which is thought to be being given a rebrand to another organisation owned by the multinational conglomerate.

These rumours are now bolstered after Peugeot’s – a Stellantis-backed brand – WEC squad teased Cassidy’s involvement at the Lone Star Le Mans event at COTA in September.

Formed as a mock Instagram direct message chat, the announcement saw Peugeot ‘message’ Cassidy, saying it has booked him a flight to Austin for September.

“Let’s chat 2025/2026 WEC plans. You in?” it concluded.

“I’ll be recharging this summer, but can’t wait to catch up in Austin. Let’s talk soon!” Cassidy ‘replied’.

It’s clear that if Cassidy will be handed a permanent drive for the French marque in WEC, it will dovetail with FE duties, reaffirming his commitment to the all-electric championship in London.

“I think I’ve been clear for many years that I really enjoy driving here,” he told Motorsport Week. “I really enjoy the technical challenge. And for me, it’s a massive focus to be here and successful for a very long time.”

Cassidy’s potentially imminent announcement would shake-up the organisation’s two driver line-ups, with further speculation pointing towards DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne as his team-mate.

Further speculation has indicated that Taylor Barnard will take his place at the Franco-American squad, with Motorsport Week understanding that the young Brit’s confirmation is weeks away.

This leaves Britain’s Jake Hughes on the precipice, along with his current Maserati team-mate, Season 8 champion Stoffel Vandoorne.

The Belgian confirmed to Motorsport Week at the Berlin E-Prix last month that he has a Stellantis contract for next year [including a WEC seat with Peugeot], but was tight-lipped on the further details.

READ MORE – Porsche Formula E star reveals a ’50/50′ chance of staying next season

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Peugeot took a double-points finish at the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo as tyre degradation made it difficult to convert their impressive qualifying.

The French Hypercar team turned heads when they secured their place in the Hyperpole qualifying session in second and third positions, before finalising grid spots of fourth and sixth.

They converted their best qualifying performance of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season into their season-best race finishes in sixth and seventh, though Peugeot accepted what hindered them from an even stronger race result.

Seven of the 18 Hypercar line-ups used two drivers across both cars, but a selection was due to the clash with the FIA Formula E event in Berlin – concerning Sebastien Buemi’s absence in the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid, Jean-Eric Vergne in the #93 Peugeot 9X8 and Stoffel Vandoorne in the #94 Peugeot.

“Our race pace was as expected,” said Olivier Jansonnie, Peugeot Sport Technical Director, “but we may have underestimated the speed of our three direct competitors, who were very fast.

“We could have finished P5 and P6 – it’s a shame, but we lost time under FCY.

“We’ll need to analyse why. The gaps are getting tighter, and there will be more opportunities to perform well before the end of the season.”

Tyre degradation pushes first pit stop forward

“A pretty calm start for me and a good first stint,” added Loic Duval, who co-drove the #94 Peugeot with Malthe Jakobsen.

“I struggled more in my second stint due to heavy rear tyre degradation, which forced us to bring our pit stop forward,” having run both cars in third and fourth before the first pit stop on the 40th lap.

“As a result, our final stint was a bit longer than that of our competitors, and on top of that, we were unlucky with the FCY, which cost us around fifteen seconds.”

Mikkel Jensen, co-driver of the #93 Peugeot with Paul di Resta, said:

“The advantage of a two-driver line-up is that you learn a lot from the first double stint and can adjust accordingly at the end of the race.

“In this race, tyre degradation management was crucial, and I did a better job of that during my final stint.

“Overall, it was a good weekend for the team, with strong performances in qualifying and a solid final result.

“Now we need to focus on tyre degradation.”

READ MORE – #12 Cadillac takes first Cadillac WEC victory at Interlagos

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Peugeot Sport’s technical director Olivier Jasonnie reflected on a ‘disappointing’ 6 Hours of Imola result after securing ninth at best.

“The #94 unfortunately had a problem after the final pit stop and couldn’t get past the #5 Porsche at the end,” he said.

“After the #93’s spin caused by another car (#38 JOTA Cadillac – Earl Bamber), it was tough to get back into the race, and we weren’t lucky with the safety car.

“It’s a mixed result overall, with strong qualifying sessions, but some disappointment in the race.

“We weren’t able to slot into the right packs of cars, and on a circuit like Imola where overtaking is so difficult, that prevented us from achieving a better result today, despite improved pace on a clear track.”

Peugeot’s #93 9X8 Hypercar secured a place in Hyperpole qualifying following Antonio Fuoco’s fastest lap time deletion.

Even still, the #94 Peugeot started in 11th and joined its #93 sibling in fighting within the points threshold – before #94’s Loic Duval incurred a penalty from making contact with JOTA at the Acque Minerali.

“I saw some drops on the windshield at the start of my stint, while I was on four medium tyres,” added #93 co-driver Mikkel Jensen.

“In the end, the rain never came, so it was the right call.

“P9 isn’t a great result, but the midfield is so close that a small strategic mistake can easily drop you from 5th to 15th.”

Peugeot opted for two different tyre strategies when the light rain arrived, four new medium slicks for the #94 and previously scrubbed mediums (from qualifying) for the #93.

They finished ninth and 12th amidst the ultra-competitive mid-field of Hypercar competitors despite having showcased promising pace after struggling in Qatar.

READ MORE: Cadillac drivers on ‘tough and disappointing weekend’ at Imola

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Peugeot cited a smooth reliability run for their 9X8 Hypercars at the Qatar 1812 km, the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season-opener.

They more or less contended for the top-10 in the highly competitive 18-strong Hypercar category throughout the whole 10-hour race.

This resulted in P9 (#93 Peugeot) and P12 (#94 Peugeot) finishes as the latter Hypercar incurred a penalty which dropped them outside the points-threshold before the checkered flag.

They evidently contended for the race victory last year before running out of fuel, though this was with the previous ‘wingless’ version of the 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar.

Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport, said: “The two cars finished, and they were very reliable in this 10-hour race, which is a positive point because we had to rebuild #94 before qualifying.

“We extracted the maximum from the package we had during the race and took advantage of all opportunities and safety cars to reposition ourselves in the standings.

“I am very proud of the work of the entire team this week.

“Now, we need to find a bit more pace to more regularly compete for the top spots.”

“It was a pretty complicated race, and very tight in the middle of the pack,” added Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport.

“Losail is a circuit that doesn’t degrade tyres much, so no issues with the tyre quota here.

“However, the track changes a lot, and we had to find the right tire combinations depending on the conditions, while trying to outmanoeuvre the competitors within our reach and make the best use of the safety cars to keep both our cars in the lead lap as long as possible.”

Tyre management still key amidst interruptions at Lusail

Ten interruptions spread across the virtual safety car, safety car and full-course-yellow periods during the race on 28 February.

Many of their Hypercar rivals raced together as manufacturers, like Peugeot, with the exception of Cadillac after their two JOTAs dramatically collided with one another.

Apart from the brand new Aston Martin Valkyrie, all other Hypercars demonstrated fair reliability during the race.

Jean-Eric Vergne qualified the #93 Peugeot in 10th place as Loic Duval was 12th for the #94 and both Peugeots comfortably ran within the top-10 during the race.

Loic Duval’s hard battle with Michael Christensen’s #5 Porsche Penske 963 resulted in a drive-through penalty within the penultimate hour of the race.

Mikkel Jensen, one of the co-drivers in the #93 Peugeot, explained the track evolution’s effect on tyre management:

“I did a first double stint of more than two hours.

“Between day and night, temperatures dropped, and the track evolved a lot.

“It was hard to know whether to use hard or medium tyres at that point.

“We chose to run hard on the left and medium on the right.

“We weren’t the fastest on track, but we stuck with it to stay in the top-10 and on the lead lap.”

READ MORE: Ferrari sweep podium with dominant 1-2-3 at Qatar

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Theo Pourchaire has joined the Peugeot Sport FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar team as a test and development driver.

The 21-year-old Frenchman has joined the Hypercar squad after participating in the post-season WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain.

Pourchaire took to the wheel of a Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar on the day after the 8 Hours of Bahrain finale.

With Malthe Jakobsen stepping up to a full-time seat for the 2025 season, Pourchaire has taken his place as a junior driver in the team.

Pourchaire said: “I am very excited to join Peugeot Sport as a development driver for the upcoming season; this is an incredible opportunity.

“I see it as a fresh start, as endurance racing is a new challenge for me.

“I really enjoyed the Rookie Test in Bahrain, which went very well.

“The Peugeot 9X8 is a very powerful car, unlike anything I’ve driven before.

“Endurance cars are highly advanced and cutting-edge in terms of technology, making them similar to Formula 1 cars.

“Being a test driver is a fantastic opportunity, and I’m grateful to Team Peugeot TotalEnergies for offering me this chance.

“I can’t wait to begin this new role.”



Technical director of Peugeot Sport, Olivier Jansonnie, added:
”We are delighted to welcome Theo Pourchaire to Team Peugeot TotalEnergies as a development driver.

“During the Rookie Test in Bahrain, he demonstrated great potential and an in-depth understanding of our car’s unique features.

“Theo brings a fresh perspective thanks to his single-seater experience, which is a valuable asset for the development of our endurance program.

“We are eager to work with him and fully integrate him into our team.”

A new chapter for Pourchaire in sportscars

Pourchaire never drove a sportscar before he joined Peugeot in Bahrain.

He established his motorsport career in single-seaters.

In 2023, he became the FIA Formula 2 champion and participated in selected outings in the 2024 IndyCar season.

Pourchaire will participate in private testing sessions and contribute to the technical development of the Peugeot 9X8.

During the second round of the now-completed 2024 season, Peugeot unveiled a heavily revised 9X8 which most notably featured a rear wing.

He will also be in a position to step in should a regular WEC team driver be unavailable for a race.

At the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, a Formula E clash prompted the team against using an additional pair of hands.

Nevertheless, Pourchaire has taken on his newfound role as a solid entry point into top level sportscar racing.

READ MORE: WEC releases 2025 provisional entry list featuring newcomers

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Olivier Jasonnie said that it was disappointing not to stand on the podium after Ferrari were penalised for exceeding their tyre allocation.

Peugeot’s World Endurance Championship programme technical director told media about the disappointment to not celebrate their only podium of the 2024 season.

He said: “It’s a shame for us but it’s also a shame, frankly, because I think it would have been a different end to the race, not only for us.

“The pace is the most dictated by the amount of tyres you are using.

“… If we just look at us, we’ve been constantly slow in the beginning of the race because we’re trying to save tyres and then faster by the end because we have fresh tyres.

“I think that we probably underestimated how big the difference between the two cars [pre- and post- new 2024 car].

“And what we have to learn again on this new car took us some time. We are finally getting there.

“We thought we could transfer much more data from the old car but it was pretty different.

“… By the time we are running this car more and more on different tracks, we now see where the weaknesses are.”

Peugeot’s podium pursuit from last place

The #93 Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar and co-drivers Mikkel Jensen, Nico Muller and Jean-Eric Vergne took the manufacturers’ first podium of the season.

AF Corse lost their second place finish with the #51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar.

They received an additional two-lap penalty for exceeding the 26-Michelin tyre allocation which pushed the #51 down to last in the Hypercar running order.

Nico Muller’s lap times in qualifying were deleted after he exceeded track limits so started in P18 – last place.

The race featured two virtual safety car periods which enabled both Hypercar and LMGT3 classes to close up.

Given the hot and humid conditions in Bahrain, combined with the eight-hour race duration, tyre management was key during the race.

Hypercar teams experimented with changing only left-side tyres – which undergone the most stress – whether it was between the medium or hard slick tyre compound.

Peugeot were denied a podium when they ran out of fuel at the Qatar 1812 km season-opener, although that was the final race with the previous ‘wingless’ 9X8.

The 2024 season finale marked the first podium for Peugeot with the new car, having scored their previous season-best finish of fourth at Fuji.

READ MORE: Peugeot’s Jansonnie: Tyre dimension size change necessitated rear wing addition

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Peugeot’s Jean-Eric Vergne set the fastest lap in the final practice session of the FIA World Endurance Championship season in Bahrain.

Onboard the #93 Peugeot 9X8, the Frenchman set a 1:49.443 lap time early on with no one else able to beat it through the session.

Yifei Ye was second fastest in the satellite #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, with the Chinese driver just over two tenths off Vergne. Again, he set the lap early as the track surface heated up during the hour of practice.

Daniil Kvyat was a surprise third in the #63 Lamborghini SC63, around six tenths off Vergne in the Peugeot, with a 1:50.014

Paul di Resta was fourth in the sister #94 Peugeot, just 14 thousandths of a second off Kvyat.

And Mick Schumacher was fifth quickest in the #36 Alpine A424, but was more than a second off the session-topping Vergne.

That means none of the championship contenders — manufacturers or drivers — were in the top 5. The two factory Ferraris were sixth and seventh, with the two Toyotas 11th and 13th. The two factory Penske-run Porsches were 12th and 15th, as everybody gets ready for qualifying in a few hours time, but crucially all on different run plans.

Manthey lead the way in LMGT3

In LMGT3, Alex Malykhin was quickest in the #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 GT3.R with a time of 2:03.987.

Second was Arnold Robin, onboard the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3, less than a tenth off Malykhin. 

Third was Francois Heriau in the #55 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3, just within a tenth of Malykhin as well.

Fourth and fifth were the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo, and the #82 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3R.

The session ran cleanly except for two brief full course yellows, lasting five minutes in total, but no major off-track incidents occurred throughout the hour.

Qualifying begins at 4pm local time or 1pm GMT in the UK.

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Peugeot’s Paul di Resta was quickest in the opening free practice session for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 8 Hours of Bahrain.

A warm and sunny Bahrain International Circuit welcomed the WEC for the eighth and final round of the 2024 season.

The ambient temperature in the 90-minute session was above 30 degrees Celsius and the track surface hit 40.

Peugeot looked promising from the green flag as Paul di Resta set the outright pace in his #94 9X8 Hypercar.

His teammate Jean-Eric Vergne of the #93 Peugeot was initially third position before dropping to fourth.

Likewise, AF Corse begun with both Ferrari 296 LMGT3s in the top-three after they took their first win of the season at the previous Fuji round.

A full-course-yellow was deployed with 25 minutes remaining of the relatively drama-free session to test the system.

Peugeot sets promising start in Bahrain

By the end of the session, di Resta set the quickest pace with a 1:50.837.

Frederic Makowiecki took second place in the #5 Porsche Penske 963 with a 1:50.886, followed by Antonio Giovinazzi’s #51 Ferrari 499P.

The Ferrari driver set a 1:51.041 narrowly ahead of the #93 Peugeot 9X8, which was fourth owing to Vergne’s time of 1:51.052.

Laurens Vanthoor rounded out the top-five in the Hypercar class for the #6 Porsche Penske with a 1:51.116.

Kelvin van der Linde topped the LMGT3 category in the #78 Akoddis ASP Lexus RC F LMGT3 with a 1:02.079.

AF Corse’s Alessio Rovera put the #55 Ferrari in second after he drove a 2:02.342 lap time ahead of Iron Lynx’s Matteo Cairoli.

The #60 Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 EVO2 ran a fastest time of 2:02.818 to take third.

AF Corse’s #54 Ferrari took fourth with Davide Rigon’s lap time of 2:03.037 as Proton’s Ben Barker rounded out the top-five.

The #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 driver set a 1:03.060 having driven exactly 15-minutes in the session.

Free practice 2 will commence at 5.30pm local time or 2.30pm GMT.

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Peugeot have selected Theo Pourchaire and Clement Novalak to pilot their 9X8 at the FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test in Bahrain.

The annual Rookie Test has taken place since 2015 and is typically held one day after the final round of the season.

Round 8 of the 2024 WEC will conclude next month on 2 November with an eight-hour race, as the test will follow on the next day.

Pourchaire is well known for his single-seater career as the 2023 FIA Formula 2 champion and as a driver in selected IndyCar races this year.

Meanwhile Novalak, at 23-years-old, is two years older than Pourchaire and transitioned from Formula 2 to sportscar racing for 2024.

Olivier Jansonnie, technical director of Peugeot Sport, said: “For Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, these Rookie Tests in Bahrain bring a fresh perspective, even though reconditioning the cars after the race requires a lot of work from the entire team.

“It is always very motivating and rewarding to see young drivers arrive with wide eyes, discovering the team, the car, etc.”

“We selected two different profiles.

“Theo is single-seater oriented with an already impressive track record and is recognised as one of the single-seater hopefuls.

“Clement has more endurance experience with notable results in ELMS, particularly a 2nd place in LMP2 at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“His statistics in this discipline impressed us. I think it’s an interesting combination.

“They will be guided by Paul di Resta and Malthe Jakobsen, who also went through this process before being appointed full-time next season. It is always very interesting for us to get technical feedback from fresh perspectives.”

Pourchaire’s first taste of sportscars

Jakobsen took part in 2022 and 2023 during his role as a development and reserve driver as the Dane will make his WEC debut in Qatar next year on 28 February.

Pourchaire, the youngest winner in Formula 2 history, said: “I am very happy to be able to drive the 9X8 with Team Peugeot TotalEnergies in Bahrain.

“It will be a new experience for me as it will be the first time I drive an endurance car, a Hypercar.

“It’s almost a different sport for me, completely different from what I was used to in Formula 2, as a reserve F1 driver, or in IndyCar.

“I’m excited to discover the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship.

“I think it’s a dream for every driver to be able to race in this championship one day, especially with 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 with a very powerful car, and it’s an amazing opportunity.”

“It’s an important step in my transition from single-seaters to endurance racing,” added Novolak, who races in the European Le Mans Series and took second place in LMP2 at his Le Mans 24 Hours debut earlier this year.

“I couldn’t dream of a better team, given its incredible history in the discipline, 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 formative and enriching day for me.”

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Mikkel Jensen was delighted to earn Peugeot’s best result so far in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship season at the 6 Hours of Fuji.

The #93 Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar driver grasped fourth place at the 6 Hours of Fuji and finished just 3.25 seconds behind the #36 Alpine A424 in third.

In fact both Peugeots, the #93 and #94, finished 10 places higher than where they started.

Jean-Eric Vergne begun the #93 from 14th, as Loic Duval did so in the sibling Hypercar in P18.

Jensen described his final stint in the #93: “It was a big fight on track, and I was pushing hard to stay on the lead lap.

“I had no idea what my position was.

“I overtook the (#35) Alpine, my tyres were shot, but I kept going at the same pace.

“I’m super happy with this 4th place, it’s a great result for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies.”

During an action-packed race, safety car periods kept the Peugeots within reach of the points threshold.

They struggled in qualifying and not necessarily asserted the strongest pace during the six-hour race.

Vergne begun the race with a significant portion of driving, before Nico Muller took over, followed by Jensen to the end.

Furthermore, Peugeot contended with tyre management and cunningly saved a set for the final stretch to the checkered flag.

“We knew it would come down to the end of the race,” added Olivier Jansonnie, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport.

“We had saved new tyres for the final stint, and it worked.

“It was a race full of twists, with many collisions, full course yellows, and safety cars.

“We are happy with what we accomplished, even though we still lack a bit of pace.

“Maybe we didn’t have the most competitive car, but we made the most of it with our strategy.

“Some of our drivers had tough stints, having to push the tyres to their limits, but they delivered a great team result that I’m very proud of, at every level of the team.

“It’s been tough since Austin, and this race was difficult to prepare for, so this result rewards everyone’s commitment.

:I’m very pleased with this outcome.”

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