Just before the start of Central European Rally, Hyundai announced that it had appointed Andrew Wheatley as the team’s sporting director.
Wheatley was already supporting the team at the Central European Rally, and his role will continue to be a highly visible one in the future.
Wheatley is well known for his previous work with the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), and he has also worked for the M-Sport Ford rally team. The World Rally Championship is therefore a very familiar playing field for the Briton.
“The team is growing, the team is expanding, but the team also needs to improve in certain areas. And you know, I’m never shy about bringing in talent, expertise, and passion. That’s very much what Andrew is bringing,” explained Hyundai team principal Cyril Abiteboul to Rallyjournal.com.
Wheatley joins Hyundai’s management group, which already includes, in addition to Abiteboul, technical director François-Xavier Demaison, team manager Pablo Marcos, and head of engineering Jan de Jongh.
In addition to competing in the World Rally Championship, Hyundai will also enter the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in the future, so the extra pair of hands at the office will be very welcome.
“obviously with the endurance programme ramping up, it’s clear that this year I wasn’t able to be here at all the events. And that’s not right; that’s not fair for the team, that’s not fair for the crews,” said Abiteboul.
“I wanted to have someone who would basically be my deputy — someone who could be here at all the events and at the other factories, someone passionate and who also understands the dynamics of rallying, so that he can help us build for the future,” Abiteboul continued.
The World Rally Championship’s technical regulations will change for the 2027 season. Abiteboul has previously stated that the team will not initially build an entirely new car for 2027. In any case, Wheatley will play a major role in shaping Hyundai’s future.
“We all know that rallying is up for a big change beyond 2026. We’d like to be part of that, but we need to build that story. And I believe Andrew is probably one of the best people to build that story with us,” Abiteboul concluded.
