Engine, recruitment, objectives… Abiteboul gives an initial update on the Genesis program

It is in the sumptuous setting of Dubai, at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, that the Genesis Magma Racing program of Hyundai was presented last December. The South Korean manufacturer presented the broad outlines of its project, including its first partners such as Oreca and IDEC Sport as well as two drivers to lead the development of the GMR-001: André Lotterer and Pipo Derani.

President of Hyundai Motorsport and director of the new entity Genesis Magma Racing, Cyril Abiteboul gave more details on the evolution of the program, with a competitive debut planned in a year's time at the opening of the 2026 World Championship season.Endurance.

Genesis Hypercar to be unveiled in December 2024 – Photo: Genesis

« The biggest challenge is really the time we have, recognizes Cyril Abiteboul. We need to find the right facilities and build a team, we need to have a group of 60 people that doesn't exist yet. We also need to have the right equipment. It's not just a car we need to build. It's a racing team. An organization. A new identity. »

« Another big challenge, from a timing and engineering perspective, is the powertrain, develops French. We only had six months to develop a complete engine. We chose to use a V8 precisely because it was a great opportunity not to have to redesign a complete engine from scratch and instead to take inspiration from the existing engine in our car WRC, a very competitive 1,6-liter turbocharged inline-four that we've been running for several years. We took that engine and turned it into two inline-fours, giving us a V8. »

« We also work with partners, including Oreca, a company that is not new to this field. They have been designing endurance racing cars for decades. We are very fortunate to have them as a partner to help and guide us in the development of the design and performance of the car. »

"We want to show the speed of Korean culture"

Cyril Abiteboul also spoke about the South Korean manufacturer's choice to launch into Endurance. We are not only looking to build the present, but also a legacy. Racing in this type of championship against historic brands allows us to immediately connect the brand with the best of the best on the most iconic racing circuits in the world. »

« We try to be as Korean as possible, both in our appearance and in our performances. The logo directly references Korean characters. We also reference our connection to Korean culture in the team identity. »

« In terms of our performance, one of the things we like to emphasize is the speed at which we do things. The car will be testing on asphalt in a few months, and the car will be racing in early 2026. By all standards, we have really compressed the timing of what is normally done to the extreme, because we also want to show the speed of Korean culture – or what I would like to call the hyperspeed of Genesis. »

The Genesis GMR-001 – Photo: Genesis

The design of the half-scale model presented in Dubai had caused a sensation, particularly with the design of the front headlights, specific to the Genesis brand. Will it also cause a sensation once on the track?

« One of the most famous French aero-designers said that a beautiful plane also flies well ("For an airplane to fly well, it must be beautiful," said Marcel Dassault), Abiteboul declared. I tend to believe so. Sometimes technical regulations can lead you to design cars that are not necessarily very beautiful because they are extremely sophisticated. I think of the Formula 1 because that's where I spent most of my life. There was a time when cars were full of aerodynamic surfaces. Ultimately, I believe that there is no opposition between aesthetics and functionality. In any case, the car that wins is always the most beautiful. » With initial tests scheduled for August, the full-size version of the GMR-001 will be unveiled around April.

To embark on this new adventure, Hyundai embarked on a prospecting exercise to find " talents worldwide. "" I can already tell you that we have recruited a chief engineer., says Abiteboul. I can't reveal his name yet, but I can tell you that he has already worked with some of the most successful brands in motorsport. We only look for the best of the best, those who can bring us not only talent, but also their culture, experience and network of people. »

Abiteboul sets first Genesis goals

Finally, the former general director of the Renault F1 Team set out his team's first objectives for 2026: " The first year will be dedicated to system and reliability checks, to make sure the performance is there. If we can do that, we can finish consistently in the top 5. If you finish consistently in the top 5, you can, on some occasions, get on the podium. »

« After that, we will move forward step by step to show that we are a professional and credible force in the races, and that there is a long-term plan. There is no point in wanting to rush or burn the stages. It is not a sprint race, it is an endurance race. It is a totally different philosophy. »

To get up to speed with the regulations of European Endurance races, Genesis Magma Racing has teamed up with the French team IDEC Sport to compete in the LM P2 category of the European Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans from this year. The South Korean brand also announced this Friday the recruitment of the Spaniard Daniel Juncadella to replace Logan sargeant, the American having defected to turn to other projects far from motorsport.

ALSO READ > IDEC Sport recruits Juncadella and announces Lotterer for Le Mans