Robert Shwartzman will return to the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2027 after joining Team Peugeot TotalEnergies as part of the French manufacturer’s six-driver Hypercar line-up.
The 26-year-old returns to WEC following two seasons in the United States, having switched to IndyCar in 2025. Shwartzman previously raced in Hypercar with AF Corse during the 2024 campaign, where he claimed victory at the Circuit of The Americas alongside Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye.
His move to Peugeot adds another experienced Hypercar driver to the manufacturer’s programme as it prepares for the 2027 season. Furthermore, Shwartzman will complete several test sessions in the Peugeot 9X8 over the coming months before formally joining the race line-up next year.
Shwartzman welcomes WEC return with Peugeot
Shwartzman described the move as an opportunity to return to a discipline he has missed since leaving WEC at the end of 2024.
“I’m extremely happy to be returning to the FIA World Endurance Championship after my time racing in the United States,” Shwartzman enthused. “Endurance racing is something I’ve really missed over the past two seasons, and I’m thrilled to be joining Team Peugeot TotalEnergies.
His return follows a period in which he broadened his experience outside endurance racing, most notably through his move to IndyCar. However, the Peugeot opportunity brings him back to machinery and racing formats with which he already has considerable familiarity.
“From my very first discussions with the team, I felt genuinely welcomed and immediately part of the project, within a highly professional and ambitious environment. The 2027 programme is particularly exciting, and I can’t wait to contribute to this new chapter and help write the next pages of the story together.”
Peugeot has already confirmed that Shwartzman will take part in testing before the beginning of next season, giving him time to adapt to the 9X8 and integrate into the team before his race return.
Strong single-seater career preceded endurance switch
Shwartzman arrives at Peugeot with a career that has already taken him through several of motorsport’s leading categories.
He won the FIA F3 Championship in 2019 before finishing runner-up in the FIA F2 Championship two years later. Those performances also earned him Formula 1 opportunities with Ferrari and Sauber, where he held test and reserve driver roles as he continued progressing through the single-seater ladder.
However, his career began moving increasingly towards endurance racing in 2023. Shwartzman first competed in GT World Challenge before making an immediate impression when he stepped into Hypercar machinery later that year.
During the annual WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain, he drove Ferrari’s 499P and set the fastest lap by more than half a second. That performance helped lead to a full-season opportunity with AF Corse for 2024.
Shwartzman made immediate impact in Hypercar
Shwartzman adapted quickly to WEC competition once he joined AF Corse’s independently entered Ferrari 499P.
He finished fourth on his championship debut before later securing his first WEC victory at COTA alongside Kubica and Ye. The result gave Shwartzman proven race-winning experience in the Hypercar class before he moved away from the championship at the end of the season.
That experience should reduce the adaptation required when he joins Peugeot. Although the 9X8 differs significantly from the Ferrari 499P, Shwartzman already understands the demands of Hypercar racing, including multiclass traffic, energy management and the strategic complexity of WEC competition.
His previous success also gives Peugeot another driver with experience fighting at the front of the championship as the manufacturer continues working towards its first Hypercar victory.
IndyCar move brought another major career milestone
Shwartzman moved to the United States in 2025 to compete in IndyCar, adding another form of top-level single-seater racing to his résumé.
He produced one of the standout moments of his rookie campaign when he claimed pole position for the Indianapolis 500. In doing so, Shwartzman became the first rookie in more than four decades to secure pole for one of motorsport’s most famous races.
His time in IndyCar further expanded a career already spanning F3, F2, GT racing and Hypercar competition. Peugeot now gains a driver with experience across several different styles of machinery as it prepares its 2027 WEC programme.
Peugeot sees Shwartzman as key part of 2027 project
Team Principal Emmanuel Esnault highlighted Shwartzman’s range of experience and adaptability when confirming his place in the programme.
“We are delighted to welcome Robert to Team Peugeot TotalEnergies,” echoed Team Principal, Emmanuel Esnault. “He is unquestionably one of the most promising talents of his generation and already possesses a wealth of experience gained at the highest level in both single-seater and endurance racing. His natural speed, adaptability and maturity make him an ideal fit for our project.
Peugeot has competed in the current Hypercar era since 2022 and continues working towards its first victory with the 9X8. Shwartzman will therefore join the programme during an important phase of its development rather than simply stepping into an established package.
“He is already fully involved in the preparation of our 2027 programme and will play an important role in the team’s future. We greatly appreciate the trust he has placed in us by joining the Peugeot Sport Endurance family and sharing our ambitions. We are committed to building a strong relationship with Robert, both on and off-track, and to writing a successful new chapter together.”
His upcoming test programme should allow Peugeot to integrate him into that development work before the 2027 season begins.
Shwartzman adds race-winning experience to Peugeot line-up
Shwartzman’s signing gives Peugeot another driver who has already demonstrated that he can win at WEC level.
His 2024 COTA victory remains particularly relevant because it came during his first full season in the category, showing his ability to adapt quickly to Hypercar competition. Combined with his single-seater background and recent IndyCar experience, that makes him a versatile addition to Peugeot’s six-driver roster.
The move also brings Shwartzman back into WEC at a time when Peugeot is preparing another stage in the development of its Hypercar programme. The French manufacturer will now use the coming months to integrate him into testing and preparation before his race return.
For Shwartzman, the move represents a return to a championship where he already achieved one of the biggest results of his endurance career. For Peugeot, it adds proven Hypercar experience as the team looks to strengthen its challenge in 2027.
