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