Cyril Abiteboul: “Rallying is part of Hyundai’s DNA”

After several weeks of discussions, the former boss of the Renault F1 Team agreed to take on a major challenge within the sports department of the South Korean brand, which has been chasing a WRC Drivers' title since its debut in 2014. A few days of his big debut during the Monte-Carlo Rally, the French engineer explains to us the reasons which motivate this career choice.

Published on 17/01/2023 à 18:00

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Cyril Abiteboul: “Rallying is part of Hyundai’s DNA”

Cyril Abiteboul - Team principal Hyundai Motorsport © Hyundai

Comment l’occasion de rejoindre Hyundai s’est-elle présentée ?

The first contact dates back to autumn 2022 via mutual acquaintances. The connection was made through Sébastien Philippe (team president ART Grand Prix. Editor’s note). I would like to take this opportunity to thank him. He made a pass to me which proved decisive. The discussions mainly took place with Sean Kim, the president of Hyundai Motorsport, but also Thomas Schemera, the marketing boss who had the Motorsport program under his authority, and Till Wartenberg, the head of the N brand, which is the sports range from Hyundai. She needs the rally and customer competition to develop the notoriety and performance of its products. For my part, after the Formula 1, I wanted a breath of fresh air, to discover lots of other worlds. The F1 period had been very intense and egocentric. I wanted to see what was happening elsewhere. I had a lot of fun, but the desire to get back into cars and motorsport came slowly. When I got in touch with Hyundai things happened naturally. I felt that it was a project in which I could flourish.

You had been expecting it for weeks: why such a delay before the official announcement?

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