Belgian motorsport website AutoTrends added fuel to the fire in a piece by veteran rally journalist Olivier de Wilde a month ago. According to the site, Hyundai’s factory team may no longer be in the WRC by 2026, with French outfit PH Sport potentially running Hyundai’s Rally1 cars instead.
If Hyundai withdraws its factory team status from the WRC, Toyota would be the only fully-fledged factory team remaining. The series already has M-Sport’s rally team, which operates Ford’s vehicles.
Thierry Neuville, who has driven for Hyundai for a decade, announced on Thursday that he will continue driving the i20 N Rally1 car next season. The team’s other confirmed driver for 2025 is Estonian star Ott Tänak.
Hyundai’s future investments are reportedly shifting towards circuit racing in the WEC (World Endurance Championship), where the brand aims to compete in the 2026 season. Hyundai is expected to confirm these plans soon.
The man behind Hyundai Motorsport and the current head of the WRC team, Cyril Abiteboul, is leading the charge towards the WEC, with technical director François-Xavier Demaison supporting the move. According to reports, Christian Loriaux would take over the leadership of Hyundai’s rally team in the future.
Rally website DirtFish has also picked up on this topic.
“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” Abiteboul commented vaguely.
RallyJournal.com will catch up with Abiteboul in Greece on Thursday to discuss the matter and report on the latest developments in Hyundai’s situation. Stay tuned to our site!
