Why Genesis evaluated F1 programme but chose WEC

Luxury car brand Genesis says it did evaluate a potential entry into Formula 1 prior to deciding that it would commit to an LMDh programme for the 2026 World Endurance Championship instead.

The South Korean manufacturer officially launched its Genesis GMR-001 Hypercar plans ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Dubai, revealing a scale model and images of the car concept that will begin testing next year.

The WEC decision comes after it spent a great deal of time evaluating where it would enter circuit racing and choosing which category would best suit its ambition. And while F1 was on its radar, the company eventually concluded that committing to an endurance programme was the best thing for it.

Luc Donckerwolke, the chief creative officer of the Hyundai Motor Group and the Genesis automotive brand, said that while the company had several former F1 figures on board – including former team boss Cyril Abiteboul – the decision was firmly that sportscars was a better fit for it right now.

“Obviously, when we discuss about high performance and we discuss a possible participation in motorsport, having people, key people, having certain experience in motorsport and in Formula 1, we obviously have talked about it [F1],” he said.

“But clearly we have decided to go for endurance. The future will tell. But first of all, we have a mission, and the mission is endurance racing. And then let’s meet in some years, and we might then open up, but at the moment, this is really clear. Our mission is endurance.”

Donckerwolke explained that there were key benefits to being involved in WEC that would not be possible from an F1 entry.

“I think the first one is having a direct relationship to our line-up of cars,” he said. ”It is much closer, and also the public, the audience, is actually closer to the type of vehicles we sell.

“We thought obviously endurance racing is compatible with our brand values as well. We don’t want to come to motorsport and do it the same way.

“We are more than just an automotive brand, we have a lot of technology and potential that we would like to apply, not only to obviously the vehicles, but also to the environment and sustainability. We aim to have, let’s say, a more sustainable logistic system with hydrogen.

“We have Boston Dynamics through robotics, where we aim to make the life of the crew team easier and better by supporting them with robotics.

“So there’s a lot of things we want to apply. This is not just a marketing tool, this is a serious talk, as we want to add another value to our motorsport programme.”

Donckerwolke also said that the use of hybrid technology in WEC was a critical element behind the choice too.

He added: “It is very important for us to race and to get a return on investment. And by that, I don’t mean marketing or whatever. I mean as well as technological know-how, and also inspiration for the design.

“We are entering a phase where everything is possible with new powertrains, so this is the right moment to get, let’s say, a different feel, to inspire us. And this is one of the big motivations of entering this category of motorsport racing.

Genesis LMDh

Photo by: Genesis

“But there’s also the aerodynamic research we’re doing, which is applicable more than if you do, for instance, open-wheel racing. That is a completely different discipline, which is where the learnings are difficult to transfer into normal vehicles which are our core business.

“So this is why we believe in endurance, and also because we have always identified our cars as being a little bit the grand tourer, the Gran Turismo cars, so the gentleman driver.

“And this is actually the essence of endurance racing. It has been the discipline of the gentleman drivers. So we believe that there is absolute compatibility from that point of view as well.”

With Genesis committing to sportscars for now, team principal Abiteboul said that thoughts of any potential F1 programme were very far away.

“It’s a brand strategy,” he said. “I think what we are doing and what we’re announcing now makes complete sense from a brand strategy. And I think that’s the focus of these days, of these years, it’s more than enough to execute that right.”