The FIA ​​is not going to “upset everything” to convince Hyundai to stay

While the debates on the future regulations are in full swing in WRC, another major issue has stretched the behind the scenes of the championship for months now: to convince Hyundai to maintain his commitment. The South Korean manufacturer has still not confirmed its presence in 2026, for the last year of the current regulatory cycle, and even less for the new era expected in 2027.

Hyundai has already expressed concerns about the orientation taken by discipline, and in particular on the absence of technologies sufficiently in line with the evolution of the automotive sector, point to which the brand is particularly due and which it intends to exploit through its arrival in endurance.

“It is still a work in progress, as much on details as on more fundamental questions”delay Cyril Abiteboul, director of the Hyundai team, with Motorsport.com. “We must not lose sight of the fact that these regulations must above all allow to keep the manufacturers engaged and attract others, but also to reach a wider audience and create new economic opportunities. I am not sure that the regulation will allow.”

“first of all, the regulation should increase the number of competitors. And this is where we expect guarantees, or at least one form of understanding on the part of the FIA ​​and decision -makers. We need to know where the WRC is and what is, basically, its real objective.”

The FIA ​​discusses with Hyundai to try to respond to its concerns for 2027, nevertheless the legislator does not seem ready to drastically review his copy for the future regulatory cycle, whose contours were announced last December.

“We try to respond to all their concerns in the short and medium term, but at some point, we must also think of the overall interest of the championship and its development”underlines Xavier Mestelan-Pin, technical director of the FIA. “Hyundai is part of the game, but it is not the only actor. You have to have a global vision and make the best decisions. Of course, we exchange with them, but we do not want to break the regulations for something that would not be sustainable.”

“Today, we have few manufacturers who have signed for the next ten years, so Hyundai is an example, but it is not the only ones. It is our role to fix and define the rules, make a decision and find a compromise. If necessary, I hope that we can adjust things so that they are more comfortable, but we do not want to upset everything.”

Interview by Tom Howard