Hyundai confirms the arrival of François-Xavier Demaison

Hyundai a confirmé ce mercredi 24 mai ce qui était dans l’air : François-Xavier Demaison rejoint Hyundai Motorsport comme directeur technique. « Mr. Demaison will lead the efforts of the company's technical departments and liaise with relevant R&D groups within Hyundai Motor Company worldwide » indicates the South Korean manufacturer. “ LThe Frenchman will also assist Hyundai Motorsport President Sean Kim and team principal, Cyril Abiteboul, to define the future of the company's program in motorsport. »

François-Xavier Demaison, aged 54, will occupy a newly created position, that of technical director in the company structure. A role that he has already occupied in the past at Williams Racing and Volkswagen Motorsport. In 26 years of experience in the world of motorsport, he has gone through the WRC, Formula 1, Rallycross or the TCR. Under his leadership, Volkswagen notably won four drivers' titles and four manufacturers' titles in the WRC (2013-2016), winning 43 out of 52 rallies during his four seasons.

« We are pleased that François-Xavier will join us in Alzenau to lead our technical departments within the framework of our motorsport activities, declares Sean Kim, the manufacturer's president. His extensive experience and achievements in WRC, TCR and beyond will prove invaluable as we seek to establish ourselves as a benchmark in our motorsport programs. In addition to managing all of our technical resources, he will also work closely with the R&D groups within Hyundai Motor Company to strengthen and improve our performance in rally and racing. »

“After taking the time to immerse myself in the company and its activities, it became clear to me that we needed a unified presence within our technical departments,” adds Cyril Abiteboul, director of Hyundai Motorsport team. The arrival of François-Xavier as Technical Director is an incredibly exciting opportunity to amplify and develop Hyundai's motorsport programs. In addition to enhancing our current competitiveness, FX will help us define the future of the business by making improvements to our facilities to transform our capabilities into those of a leading motorsport organization. He knows what it takes to not only win, but dominate in motorsport, and it is this experience that we need to channel our efforts and win championship titles in the years to come. »

Heading to the WEC?

Note that the press release discusses the future of the N brand in motorsport in the broad sense. Implied, a potential expansion to horizons other than that of the WRC? Indeed, according to our sources, a future Hypercar program in WEC would be in the pipeline in Seoul (South Korea) and the arrival of the French engineer would go in this direction.

Cyril Abiteboul has recently not been kind to the present and future of the World Rally Championship. « I don't want to create antagonism with the promoter or the FIA, "He said. We are partners, we must collaborate. I am aware that the situation is difficult and that organizing a good rally is a huge job. If I can be one of the people who brings new ideas and energy, I would be delighted. »

Once this posture of peace was deployed, he put his fingers in the socket, hoping to cause a short circuit. “ There is a state of emergency. How many Rally1s have we lost since last year? 20%, 30%? What will it be in 2024? Are we a manufacturers' championship or is it customer competition? We need more cars, more manufacturers. We need more proposals for fans and brands. A better return on investment is essential. I think the first thing we should do is assess the constraints we face. In my opinion, the WRC is more the result of the constraints surrounding it than the result of where we want to go. This concerns the service fleet in particular, but just as much the television broadcasts. Do we need live music all the time, because that's one of the constraints I'm talking about. Who watches live from 8 a.m. to 21 p.m.? Why don't we make the best times? Why not fake live? What do enthusiasts want? Even if I regret that there are so few of them, I think that we should share the data that we have about the car, but also about sport to see what works and what doesn't. »

The possible departure of Hyundai to other lands is not an idle threat and the arrival of François-Xavier Demaison could thus go in the direction of a change of strategy at the N brand.

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