Hyundai Motorsport has strengthened its resources by adding two valuable members of staff, which will oversee programmes in the World Rally Championship and World Endurance Championship.
The Korean marque has created two new roles within its organisation in the form of Operations Director and Head of Engineering, which will be filled by the experienced Sebastien Metz and Massimo Carriero respectively.
They will formally start work from 1 January 2026, with Hyundai set to contest the WRC and make its WEC debut under the Genesis brand.
This follows the appointment of former FIA road sport director Andrew Wheatley, who has taken up a newly created WRC sporting director role.
It has been well documented this year that Hyundai’s move into WEC on top of its WRC and TCR programmes has stretched resources within the team. Hyundai has struggled this year in the WRC with its upgraded i20 N that has yielded only one win to date from 12 rallies.
Metz will oversee all Hyundai Motorsport operations and facilities and will be responsible for both day to day operations and strategic planning.
Genesis Magma Racing, GMR-001 Hypercar
Photo by: Genesis
The Frenchman has previously worked in both circuit racing and rallying, bringing extensive experience from working with teams in the WEC paddock. Metz joins Hyundai from Multimatic, where he worked on the organisation’s LMDh and GT3 programmes.
“It is a great source of pride to have my experience and professionalism recognised by a manufacturer of such stature,” said Metz.
«I am excited to support [company president] Cyril Abiteboul in shaping the overall motorsport strategy, while working closely with [technical director] FX Demaison to optimise our tools and strengthen the existing structure.
“My goal is to make the team more robust, high-performing, and autonomous, while contributing to the development of Hyundai’s projects and the sporting deployment of Genesis.”
According to Hyundai’s announcement, Carriero will work alongside Demaison and will manage the work of the engineering group, developing Hyundai Motorsport’s in-house engineering capabilities.
The Italian also has experience in circuit racing and rallying, having worked as a Test and Development Engineer for McLaren Motorsport’s GT3 programmes. He also spent time with M-Sport, where he held senior technical roles overseeing the squad’s rally and GT3 exploits.
Cyril Abiteboul, Team principal Hyundai World Rally Team
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
“Sharing my time with Cyril, FX, and Hyundai Motorsport is a valuable opportunity to contribute to ongoing motorsport projects and be part of a solid, forward-looking group,” said Carriero.
“I greatly value the leadership of Cyril and FX, and the dedication and talent of everyone involved, whose collective expertise forms the foundation for future improvements. My goal is to further strengthen this dynamic by bringing my own experience and commitment to the group.”
Abiteboul has hailed the new signing as a “key step” for the brand’s future in motorsport, saying: “Adding the positions of Operations Director and Head of Engineering to our team structure, as well the recent appointment of Andrew Wheatley as Sporting Director for our WRC team, strengthens the team for the future and will mean that each person can focus more closely on their responsibilities, allowing us to work more efficiently across all our programmes.”
While Hyundai has committed to a factory programme in WEC, its future involvement in the WRC beyond 2026 remains unclear.
Abiteboul has already ruled out the possibility of developing a new car for the introduction of the WRC’s new technical regulations in 2027, but has opened the door to upgrading its Rally2 to continue its involvement in rallying’s top tier.
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