Thy’s fastest man completed his first race in the FIA World Endurance Championship with top marks.
The 21-year-old racing driver from Sennels near Thisted got in the car after just over two hours of driving on the Lusail track in Qatar, where his experienced teammate, Frenchman Loïc Duval, had done the initial stints in the car.
For the debuting Hypercar driver, two stints were planned in the Peuget 9X8, and as day turned to night, Malthe Jakobsen once again delivered a well-executed effort behind the wheel. Despite two safety car periods, the native of Sennels showed that his place in the absolute top of the world is well deserved as he kept the car at a competitive pace among the top ten cars.
– “It was awesome to finally get to race the 9X8 after so many kilometres in both the simulator and at various test runs over the past year. The temperature on the track dropped quite a bit as the sun disappeared, so the conditions changed almost every lap, but it went according to plan and I’m really happy with my debut, says Malthe Jakobsen, who had to settle for 12th place after ten hours despite strong efforts from Duval, Vandoorne and himself.
For Malthe Jakobsen, his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship has also been more about learning and experience than gaining positions; and he certainly got that:
– “It’s been a fun and very educational week out here and I couldn’t have had a much better debut as a Hypercar driver for Peugeot TotalEnergies. I’ve learnt a lot already, but both myself and the team have gained a lot of experience that we need to build on before we race again at Imola in April,” says Malthe Jakobsen.
Before the next World Championship race in Italy, Malthe Jakobsen will first head to the USA, where he will be chasing victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring on 15 March.
