Former Renault F1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul has been announced as the new team principal of Hyundai Motorsport’s World Rally Championship (WRC) and touring car programmes.
Hyundai has been looking for a new leader since longtime boss Andrea Adamo left the brand last December, with Cyril Abiteboul emerging as a strong candidate for the new brand leader.
Cyril Abiteboul will succeed compatriot Julien Moncet, who has been promoted to de facto leader in the title of deputy team director, the former head of the powertrain of a team. Moncet said at Rally Japan last month that his future role is unlikely to continue.
Cyril Abiteboul brings extensive motorsport experience to the team before returning to Renault, where he began his career leading the Caterham F1 team from 2012 to 2014. At Renault, he led the F1 team from 2017 onwards, before saying goodbye before the team was renamed Alpine in 2021.
Since leaving the F1 team, Cyril Abiteboul has served as a motorsport advisor to engine builder Mechachrome, which supplies powerplants to F2 and F3.
This new position at Hyundai will see Cyril Abiteboul work for the first time in his career in rallying and touring cars.
Cyril Abiteboul joins Hyundai after a bittersweet 2022 WRC season which saw the team battle the new i20N Rally1 Hybrid and lose out on both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.
Hyundai recorded five rally victories despite being up to six months behind its rivals at the start of the year.
Hyundai finished second in the ETCR all-electric touring car series, while the BRC Elantra NTCR team took Mikel Azcona to the final WTCR title.
Cyril Abiteboul’s first competition will come next month when the 2023 WRC season kicks off in Monte Carlo, with Hyundai’s new driver line-up including Thierry Neuville, Esapekka Lappi, Craig Breen and Dani Sordo.
Category: F1 / WRC (World Rally Championship) / Renault
