The team signed a one-year contract extension with their star driver Thierry Neuville ahead of the Acropolis Rally. Additionally, last week Hyundai announced that they would join the WEC series under the Genesis brand.
There had already been rumours circulating in the rally world that Hyundai might leave the sport at the top level after the 2025 season. When the news of Neuville’s contract and Hyundai’s WEC investment was made public, speculation intensified. According to rumours, from 2025 onwards, Hyundai’s rally operations in the WRC would be run by a private team.
The situation would then mirror that of the M-Sport team, which manages Ford’s operations in the WRC. The French team PH Sport has been strongly tipped to take over Hyundai’s rally operations.
In the wildest rumours, it was suggested that Neuville might take on the role of team principal after next year, which would then be the experienced Belgian’s last season as a WRC driver. RallyJournal.com inquired about this with Neuville during the Acropolis Rally.
“That (team principal role) doesn’t interest me, not at all. I believe that at some point, when I have to retire or want to retire from the WRC, I will try different categories or disciplines. Maybe some circuit racing. I think Dakar at some point would be fun as well because it’s a real adventure,” Neuville said.
According to Neuville, Hyundai’s possible withdrawal from the WRC is a possibility. However, with the help of a private team, the brand could still stay involved.
“Obviously it might be an option for the future. It could be a way of keeping the team and the brand within the championship. So in that case, it would probably be the best solution,” Neuville explained.
“Whatever it will be, we’ll probably find out next year. At the moment, I’m not involved in any discussions or anything like that. My goal is to be grateful for at least one more year, maybe a few more years, if there are great opportunities.”
