Gabriele Tarquini joins Genesis endurance program
Cyril Abiteboul, President of Hyundai Motorsport, presented the organization chart for the Genesis program for 2026. Jacky Ickx also gives his views.
The day of announcements. Just minutes after the McLaren press conference to reveal new details about their LMDh project, Genesis joined the party.
The South Korean brand invited journalists to unveil several names. So, not drivers, but important people in the staff and technical environment. “There are no announcements for the drivers, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t making progress. On the contrary, things are happening behind the scenes,” said Cyril Abiteboul, president of Hyundai Motorsport.
The brand announced the appointment of Frenchwoman Anouck Abadie as the team manager. The former Formula 4 driver is currently the sporting director at Kessel Racing. She will be assisted by Gabriele Tarquini, a former Formula 1 driver, who will serve as sporting director.
Cyril Abiteboul also provided an update on the progress of the car. He stated that the V8 biturbo has been started and that it would produce a very nice sound. In terms of aerodynamics and the final look of the hypercar, a few details still need to be finalized, but it should largely resemble the show car presented in Dubai and this week at Le Mans.
Jacky Ickx, six-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, recently closely linked to Genesis, expressed his joy at being associated with this project. « What particularly attracts me is creating something. Starting from scratch and going all the way to the end. I want to live in the present and what comes in the future. And not stay in the past. »
According to him, all team members will be united and individuality will have no place at Genesis. The Belgian also mentioned the testing of the hypercar to really know what he’s talking about. But, jokingly, he pointed out two problems: You have to get in, and once that’s done, you have to manage to get out. I want to see what a modern car can represent.
