Hyundai Motorsport President Cyril Abiteboul has revealed to DirtFish‘s David Evans that the Korean manufacturer might transition its World Rally Championship (WRC) programme to a private team in 2026.
Despite leading both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings, Hyundai’s future in the WRC is under heavy scrutiny during the Acropolis Rally in Greece. Some sources suggest that the marque may even step away from the championship entirely after the 2024 season.
While Hyundai is expected to confirm its entry into the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the coming weeks, Abiteboul has previously indicated that competing in both WRC and WEC would be feasible in 2025. However, the idea of privately-operated i20 N Rally1 cars from 2026 is a new development.
When asked directly if such a shift was in the pipeline, the Frenchman said to DirtFish: “If it fits our strategy. The first thing we need to do is to define our strategy. If it fits our strategy, then [for] the execution, the operating model, we will be open-minded.”
This summer has seen some intriguing rumours circulating, including speculation that current championship leader Thierry Neuville might take on a more structured management role within the team come 2026. One rumour suggests that the cars could even be run by a team owned by the Belgian.
Hyundai already manages its own customer programme from its base in Alzenau, Germany, but insiders suggest that side of operations might also be winding down. It’s understood that Hyundai’s lease on the Alzenau premises is set to expire at the end of 2024.
DirtFish has learned that Christian Loriaux will continue to oversee Hyundai’s WRC efforts through 2025. Meanwhile, technical director François-Xavier Demaison will focus on the development of Hyundai’s WEC cars. These race cars could fall under Hyundai’s N high-performance division or the premium Genesis brand. Demaison is no stranger to high-level racing, having previously worked as technical director for Williams Racing in Formula 1.