What if Hyundai was the next Formula 1 team?

Article updated on June 27, 2025 at 16:16 p.m.: Since writing this article, Cyril Abiteboul denied any involvement of Hyundai en Formula 1.

ALSO READ > Abiteboul denies any involvement of Hyundai in F1

"What if? Whether it's true or not, it got you for a while, so be prepared for adventure." This is how Hyundai captioned its latest Instagram post, which was deleted a few minutes later. Far from being an official announcement, doubts remain over the Korean brand's possible involvement in the premier class of motorsport.

@hmsgofficial – Instagram Hyundai Motorsport

As a reminder, Hyundai is currently engaged in WRC since its return in 2013. With its “luxury” branch, Genesis, the Korean brand will join the grid of WEC with its Hypercar from 2026. However, the manufacturer's interest does not seem to be limited to these categories, and we could hypothetically see the H badge appear in other disciplines.

Since he was fired by Alpine In the midst of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Otmar Szafnauer hasn't given up on Formula 1. The Romanian-American quickly announced that he had the support of a mysterious manufacturer in his project for a twelfth team. Until then, just a sketch, could his plan have become more feasible?

The announcement of Luca De Meo's resignation from his role as general manager of Renault on June 15, combined with the abandonment of the Viry-Châtillon engine, could it open the door to a sale of the team? Alpine ? The rumors surrounding this are not new. What if, rather than a new team, Hyundai supported Szafnauer in the purchase of the team?enstone ?

Revenge of the old guard? Are other former employees involved in this scenario?

Also a former Team Principal of the team, Cyril Abiteboul was then placed in charge of Hyundai's WRC program, then president of the brand's competition department. On the sidelines of the Rally of Finland 2024, he spoke to the international press on this subject: “Maybe in the long term, but not at all in the short term. Our only chance would be to enter the market in 2031."

“Let’s take Audi as an example: they decided in 2021 to enter the market in 2026, he recalled. Formula 1 is a world apart, we can't come as a sponsor, we have no interest in paying other people's bills, it's not our style. The other option would be to come with our own technology." Why then spend a fortune on development if a team was for sale?

Like Frédéric Vasseur, his former colleague at Renault, Cyril Abiteboul is said to have sought to recruit engineers from Viry-Châtillon after the announcement of the abandonment of the F1 engine program. Now called "Hypertech Alpine ", the factory would be an entry point into the premier class of economic motorsport for Hyundai.

In addition to the links that bind the Korean brand to Formula 1, growing rumors send Hyundai into Formula EAbiteboul was spotted at the Monaco E-Prix talking to Jay Penske, whose DS team could withdraw from the championship. Finally, McLaren announced its withdrawal at the end of the 2025 season, leaving the team looking for a buyer for the arrival of Gen 4 in 2026. The FE's technological roadmap is interesting. However, I observe that it is a championship that is struggling to break through a glass ceiling in terms of audience and fan popularity. We will continue to explore this possibility. ", Abiteboul replied to us on this subject during the last 24 Hours of Le Mans where he presented the program Endurance of Genesis.

Nothing therefore rules out the possibility that Hyundai may expand its commitment to motorsport into new categories. In 2006, when a Grand Prix project was announced in South Korea, the brand had already announced its desire to form a team in partnership with Samsung. Remember that in Korean, "Hyun" means modern and "Dai" means era: everything suggests that the manufacturer is committed to remaining at the forefront of what motorsport offers today.

ALSO READ > Cyril Abiteboul: "The Hyundai group is looking for absolute authenticity"