Robert Shwartzman will drive the Peugeot 9X8 in the FIA World Endurance Championship starting in 2027, after two years away from the category—one racing in IndyCar and the other without a full-time ride. Peugeot, meanwhile, showed progress with the 9X8 in 2025 that it was unable to sustain during 2026.
Photo By Stellantis
The 9X8 entered 2026 without having resolved the inconsistency it has carried since its Hypercar debut. At Austin, the two Peugeot cars finished 16th and 10th, far behind Ferrari, Cadillac, and Alpine, which took the top positions. The team had shown better form at the end of 2025, with top-three finishes on that same track and at Fuji, but that improvement did not carry over into 2026.
Shwartzman arrives with a resume built across various disciplines. He was FIA Formula 3 champion in 2019 and Formula 2 vice-champion in 2021, which earned him a reserve role at Ferrari in Formula 1. He combined that role with his start in endurance racing in 2023, when he set the fastest time at the WEC's rookie test in Bahrain. A year later, he made his full-season debut in the category with AF Corse and won at Austin in the Ferrari 499P he shared with Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, in a tight finish against the Toyota GR010 of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries.
Photo By Stellantis
In 2025, he switched disciplines and joined PREMA Racing in its first year in IndyCar, a category different both in format and car type. With no prior oval experience, he took pole for the Indianapolis 500, something no rookie had achieved since 1983. The program did not last. PREMA withdrew from IndyCar for 2026, leaving him without a seat and reopening the door to the WEC.
Esnault said that Shwartzman's speed, adaptability, and maturity made him a logical choice for the project. Peugeot is betting on that complete profile—capable of moving between different disciplines without losing performance—rather than on a single standout result.
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The move comes as the championship grows. The FIA has confirmed nine dates for 2027, the first calendar with that many rounds in a decade, with the return of Silverstone and the arrival of Ford and McLaren to Hypercar.
Shwartzman will take part in test sessions with the revised 9X8 during 2026 before his first official race with Peugeot. The team already took it to the track at Paul Ricard in late July, and development continues in September.
Upcoming Races
Drivers Standings 2026
| POS | PILOTO | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Rast | 75 | arrow_up1 |
| 1 | Robin Frijns | 75 | arrow_up1 |
| 2 | Kamui Kobayashi | 75 | arrow_down1 |
| 2 | Mike Conway | 75 | arrow_down1 |
| 2 | Nyck de Vries | 75 | arrow_down1 |
| 3 | Sheldon van der Linde | 65 | |
| 4 | Alessandro Pier Guidi | 57 | arrow_up1 |
| 4 | Antonio Giovinazzi | 57 | arrow_up1 |
Manufacturers Standings 2026
| POS | CONSTRUCTOR | PTS | ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota | 132 | |
| 2 | BMW | 127 | |
| 3 | Ferrari | 88 | |
| 4 | Cadillac | 60 | arrow_up1 |
| 5 | Alpine | 41 | arrow_down1 |
| 6 | Aston Martin | 40 | |
| 7 | Peugeot | 15 | |
| 8 | Genesis | 6 |
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