Mikkel Jensen at Le Mans: "It’s Going to Be a Tough One"

The Danish Peugeot factory driver predicts a Le Mans where luck and strategy will be key if the French manufacturer is to secure top results.

When the 24 Hours of Le Mans goes green on Saturday, June 14 at 4:00 PM, Mikkel Jensen will be among the drivers on the grid. The 30-year-old Peugeot works driver is set to contest the legendary French endurance race for the sixth consecutive year and expects fierce competition in the 21-car Hypercar field.

“Unfortunately, our performance in the initial test wasn’t as strong as we had hoped. We’re coming off a solid world championship round at Spa-Francorchamps, where we were fighting for a podium, but here at Le Mans, our pace isn’t quite where it needs to be. We’re lacking speed, and that’s something we have been working on in the practice sessions,” says Mikkel Jensen.

“On the positive side, the car feels good and stable. Some sections of the track have changed since last year – especially the entry to the fast Porsche Curves, which are now smoother and therefore faster, and the exit of the Tertre Rouge corner leading onto the Mulsanne Straight. That allows us to run a lower-downforce setup in our Peugeot 9X8, which generally improves the car’s handling,” the Dane adds.

Team Peugeot TotalEnergies will field two factory cars at this year’s Le Mans. Mikkel Jensen will drive the #93 Peugeot 9X8 alongside teammates Jean-Éric Vergne and Paul Di Resta, while the #94 entry will be piloted by fellow Dane Malte Jacobsen along with Loïc Duval and Stoffel Vandoorne.

Le Mans preparations continued with the first official practice session on Wednesday afternoon, while a new qualifying format began that same evening. The opening time trial will determine the 15 fastest cars, which will move on to Hyperpole 1 on Thursday evening. From there, five cars will be eliminated, with the final 10 battling for the top grid positions in Hyperpole 2.

Peugeot has claimed overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times, and the race remains the most important event of the year for the French manufacturer. More than 300,000 fans are expected to attend the 93rd edition of the classic.