As Motorsport.com Italia reports, Malthe Jakobsen is officially calling time on his tenure with Peugeot, with the upcoming 6 hours of Monza marking his final appearance with the French manufacturer. The young Dane will step away from the #94 Peugeot 9X8 machine he shares with Loïc Duval and Théo Pourchaire at the Temple of Speed, closing out the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season before beginning a brand new adventure with McLaren next year.
The writing has been on the wall for a while regarding his destination. At McLaren, Jakobsen will reunite with his former colleague Mikkel Jensen alongside fellow official drivers Laurens Vanthoor, Alex Lynn, and Leonardo Fornaroli. Meanwhile, Peugeot is also preparing for a changing of the guard, with their current LMH challenger eventually making way in 2027 for a heavily revised and updated version of the 9X8.
Monza holds a special place in the team's modern history, having played host to Peugeot's series debut back in 2022 in the car's old configuration, followed by the 9X8 securing its maiden podium there in 2023. Emmanuel Esnault, the Team Principal, noted that the circuit's past success hopefully bodes well as they tackle an intensely competitive field where weather could easily upend the weekend.
Reflecting on four years that took him from a junior driver to a fully-fledged WEC factory driver, Jakobsen expressed deep gratitude to the squad. “Correre a Monza questo fine settimana per l’ultima volta con la Peugeot è qualcosa di speciale dopo quattro anni incredibili trascorsi con questa fantastica squadra,” he said, pointing to the welcome he received during his rookie test in Bahrain and the milestone of racing at Le Mans in the Hypercar class for the very first time.
Stellantis Motorsport Director Olivier Jansonnie praised the young driver's trajectory and dedication. The team is now fully focused on extracting the absolute maximum from the #94 car this weekend, aiming to finish inside the points and bring a high-performing close to a four-year partnership before Jakobsen officially trades his lion badge for a new chapter.
Source: https://it.motorsport.com/WEC/news/WEC-ufficiale-malthe-jakobsen-e-peugeot-si-separano-a-fine-stagione/10705608/
