Q&A Cyril Abiteboul (Genesis) : "We’re very happy with how the development of the project is going"

What is the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory programme?

“Creating the Trajectory programme is a key part of building the foundations of Genesis Magma Racing. Like any Trajectory it is about how we get from one place – where we today – to another – where we need to be when we start to compete in the FIA WEC with the GMR-001 Hypercar at the start of 2026. To do that we need to build a team. For the drivers the Trajectory programme is about learning endurance racing, about Le Mans Prototypes, and gain the skills they need to potentially join our WEC line-up for next year, or IMSA for 2027.

But there is also the rest of the team. Some of those will be new people we hire to join us, but others will be team members from Hyundai Motorsport. For them the Trajectory programme, and the involvement with the ELMS team this year, is for them to gain the experience and skills they need to part of our WEC team. This covers every part of the team, the mechanics, the engineers, the team in the workshop, the marketing department and everyone responsible for the planning and organization of the race team. Every part is included.”

How will Genesis Magma Racing be represented in the 2025 European Le Mans Series?

“This season there will be team members including mechanics, engineers and strategists, as well as drivers – Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert – from our Trajectory programme competing in the LMP2 class of the championship with Daniel Juncadella as the third driver. Even though the car is run by IDEC Sport it will run in Genesis Magma Racing colours and there will be plenty of Genesis Magma Racing and Hyundai Motorsport involvement in the team behind the scenes.

The target is for everyone to learn about endurance racing before we start with the GMR-001 in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026. This will help us get up to speed and have a sort of rolling start when we come to the first race for the GMR-001 Hypercar in 2026.”

Why was it important for Genesis Magma Racing to be part of the ELMS grid this year?

“It is all to do with our Trajectory programme for the entire team. The idea of starting with Genesis Magma Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026 from nothing, with no exposure to endurance racing quickly became very scary. The ELMS is a place for the drivers to prove their talents and make their claim to be part of the 2026 GMR-001 Hypercar driver line-up. It is also the best option for everyone involved with Genesis Magma Racing and Hyundai Motorsport to learn about endurance racing, its code, its requirements, its community, to understand what we need to succeed when we enter WEC in 2026.

For the drivers, it is a chance for them to prove their talents and make their claim to being part of the driver line-up for 2026 with the GMR-001 Hypercar. When we arrive in the Hypercar class of FIA WEC, we already want people cheering for us. To do that they have to know who we are, they must know Genesis Magma and Genesis Magma Racing. During 2025 we need to introduce ourselves to endurance racing fans at every opportunity and that’s what we will do through our partnership with IDEC Sport, during all the races of the ELMS championship and the amazing 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

Why was the decision made for Genesis Magma Racing to partner with IDEC Sport for the ELMS season?

“Again, it was quickly clear that jumping into Endurance Racing with Genesis Magma Racing or Hyundai Motorsport was impossible, but with the target we set ourselves to race in the World Endurance Championship in 2026 we didn’t have the opportunity to build a whole new team from nothing. Partnering with an experienced team in endurance racing was an easy decision. The people at IDEC Sport have been very generous to us with their time and support and welcoming to the people who have joined from Genesis Magma Racing already for this year.

It's also about access to places, to people and to understand all the administrative parts involved in endurance racing that we need to know about with for 2026. When we will compete in FIA World Endurance Championship with the GMR-001 Hypercar we will be racing against established teams, many with GT programmes – a base for their sportscar pyramid.

Because we enter straight into the WEC Hypercar class Genesis Magma Racing in 2026 we don’t have that – we only have the tip of the pyramid. The Trajectory programme and partnering with IDEC Sport for the 2025 European Le Mans Series starts to give us that base, while allowing us to develop and assess talent, both with drivers and other team members.”

Why did you select Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert for the Trajectory programme and the European Le Mans Series this season?

“When we were looking at potential drivers for the Trajectory programme we had several criteria. We wanted to find talented drivers from different demographics, from different countries, from different career paths in motorsport, but we were also looking for drivers who haven’t been given the opportunities we think their potential deserves. We've chosen the three drivers for the European Le Mans Series very carefully, based on these three things. When you look at the careers of Jamie and Mathys you can clearly see that they are good drivers but haven’t yet reached the highest levels in motorsport. We believe they all have the ability to become part of the future Genesis Magma Racing line-up, and success this season will be a big step towards this.”

How was Daniel Juncadella selected to complete the team for this season?

“Dani is a very fast, very experienced driver who knows endurance racing, so he will fit perfectly into the team. Obviously from the end of last year we had a plan for the team, but motorsport is never straight-forward so we needed to find a new third driver. With IDEC Sport we chose Dani. He will play an important role in supporting Jamie and Mathys through the season. I am sure they will be able to learn some things from him being in the team.”

How will you measure success this year? What are your expectations for the European Le Mans Series this season?

“Of course we want Jamie, Mathys and Dani to deliver strong results, but more than immediate results, it is the general direction over the course of the season that we are interested in too. For everyone, this is a year for learning because we selected the Trajectory programme drivers with the aim of a potential promotion to Hypercar.

We believe that the three drivers can easily challenge for regular top five finishes. In endurance racing if you always finish in the top five, then at some point you’ll score a podium, and if you are on the podium, you are a threat for the win. Then it becomes interesting for whether we can immediately promote any drivers for 2026, which is one of the main aims of the Trajectory programme.”

The IDEC Sport team and Genesis Magma Racing drivers will also compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. How important is that entry?

“The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the peak of endurance racing. Any driver, any team, any team member in endurance racing wants to race at Le Mans, so it’s huge for us to be invited to the race less than six months after announcing our endurance racing plans. You know, we talk about ‘Hyperspeed’ in Genesis Magma Racing as something we have adopted from Korean culture.

Hyperspeed is the fast, faultless execution of decisions that you need to succeed, but it’s also the acceleration we need to get from where we were in September 2024 with our first announcement to where we need to be for the start of the FIA WEC season in 2026. Being on the grid at Le Mans even before the debut of the GMR-001 Hypercar is a huge honour, and big chance for us to build the profile, the interest from fans in Genesis Magma Racing this year.”

Looking at the wider Genesis Magma Racing project, what is the latest on the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar?

“We’re very happy with how the development of the project is going. Everything is moving forward on schedule. We’ve already passed some major milestones, but there’s a lot of work still to do. I mean, it’s not only developing and building everything we need for the GMR-001 Hypercar. We also need to build up the team and the factory we need to be able to race in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026. I’m really excited to be able to share more and more news about the car and the team as we go through the year.”