You must be wondering what kind of cars racers love to drive on weekdays? In the just-concluded Formula One World Championship in Bahrain, someone found that Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese driver to earn points, drove a Peugeot 508 to compete.
As one of the most capable cars in the world, F1 drivers often have extremely high performance requirements for their cars. For example, Red Bull Racing's Verstappen drove a Mercedes-Benz G500, and Perez, also from Red Bull Racing, drove a Mercedes-Benz AMG G63. In contrast, Chinese driver Zhou Guanyu driving the Peugeot 508 seems to be a bit low-key.
(Image from the Internet)
It would be a mistake to think that riders liking the Peugeot 508 was a coincidence. You should know that in China, the Dongfeng Peugeot 508L also has a number of fans of racing drivers.
Not long ago, the Peugeot 508L won the title of "The Fastest B-Class Car in the Pegasus Circuit" at the Shanghai Pegasus Circuit with a lap time of 1 minute and 22 seconds. Driving the Peugeot 508L to complete the circle is also a driver - the first Chinese driver to win two championships in PCCA in a single weekend. He has won the CFGP Formula China Grand Prix three times from 2010 to 2014, and has also won the 2014 CTCC China Touring Car Championship China Mass Production Driver Championship, the 2019 China Supercar Championship Shanghai Championship and many other event awards.
In addition to Cui Yue, his friend Liu Zexuan, a driver who won the 2018 China GT Championship, also praised the Petros 508L after the track experience. The two sides drove the Peugeot 508L at the Peugeot Circuit to a peak driving control duel, and the two drivers used the throttle and steering wheel to fully pull the track performance of the Peugeot 508L, and gave the evaluation of "B-class car driving control ceiling".
Also at last year's CCP China Auto Ice and Snow Challenge, the Peugeot 508L driven by driver Wang Langtao stood out in the competition with a variety of popular models with excellent driving control performance, and finally won the comprehensive championship of the car group, becoming the biggest winner of the annual final battle of the CCPC competition.
Seeing this, it is not difficult to explain why F1 driver Zhou Guanyu chose the Peugeot 508 model as a travel car. More precise steering, more textured chassis tuning, and a more fun driving experience can meet the requirements of drivers' daily driving. And the inherent driving performance of the Peugeot 508 can be satisfied.
Some people can't help but ask, why do riders favor the Peugeot 508?
First of all, this is related to Peugeot's "life".
As a French car brand, Peugeot has a century-old track gene. As a world-renowned "sports family", the Peugeot family has inherited more than 120 years of track champion genes, from winning the first and second places in the "24 Hours of Le Mans" to winning 7 of the "Dakar Rally" 8 times, achieving Peugeot's well-known driving control.
In terms of model design, Peugeot also continues to inject track elements into the model. For example, the i-Cockpit all-sensory cockpit adopted by the Peugeot 508L can effectively layer the line of sight area and the control area, and the eyes can view the driving status of the vehicle without moving the road surface when driving, realizing the "competitive state" of "hands do not leave the disk, eyes do not leave the road".
Peugeot's proud, century-old CLDR master chassis tuning takes the dynamic limits of the body to new heights. You know, the Peugeot 508L has undergone 6 rounds of complete chassis tuning and 4 fine fine adjustments before mass production. By continuously optimizing the handling and balance of the whole vehicle, we finally have a driving experience that exceeds the chassis adjustment level of its peers and is more adapted to the track.
The Peugeot 508L also features a small steering wheel with a steering wheel diameter of only 32cm. In a rapidly changing track driving scenario, the small size of the racing wheel ensures that the driver has effective control over the body. In addition, the steering wheel also forms a golden triangle with the central control screen and the LCD instrument panel, which can achieve one-arm control, which is the gospel of racing drivers.
Secondly, the Peugeot 508L also has a cross-level driving control configuration.
In terms of performance, the 400THP turbocharged direct injection engine equipped with the Peugeot 508L adopts advanced technology and has won the Engine of the Year Award for 8 consecutive years, with thick power and smooth output, which can output a maximum power of 155kW, a maximum torque of 300N·m, and an abundant power output to ensure that every start and acceleration can burst out surging kinetic energy.
In addition to power, drivers need to be flexible and lightweight. In terms of driving control configuration, the Peugeot 508L adopts a rear five-link independent suspension comparable to that of a luxury mid-to-high-end sports car, which has a better sense of compactness and better driving stability. The management of up to 6 wheel freedom allows the body to better fit the road surface and the body posture response is faster.
The Peugeot 508L is also equipped with the only AMVAR variable independent suspension in its class, which can meet the needs of handling and comfort in different road conditions by adjusting the damping size of the shock absorber, and the extreme speed cornering can also be relaxed.
Finally, the Peugeot 508L also conceals a brake sharp, that is, a brake system that matches the 330mm diameter oversized front brake disc and all-ceramic brake pads. Its good resistance to thermal attenuation guarantees braking reliability during intense driving.
Seeing this, it is not so much that the driving charm of the Peugeot 508 has conquered Chinese F1 drivers, but rather that its inherited Peugeot centennial track gene and cross-level driving control strength make all those who crave speed and pay attention to driving control addictive. Such a new French driving flagship that all racers like, are you also impressed?