Important reinforcement for the team Hyundai. The Korean formation has signed the technical director of Williams F1, François-Xavier Demaison, who was also the designer of the Volkswagen Polo WRC that won four consecutive World Rally Championship titles between 2013 and 2016.
At 54 years old, the Frenchman will not only try to contribute to improving the competitiveness of the i20 Rally1 Hybrid, but will also collaborate in customer programs and help the training leadership in decisions about the future in competition. It is speculated that Hyundai could enter the World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a Hypercar.
“We are pleased that François-Xavier is joining us at Alzenau to lead our technical departments in all of our motorsport activities,” he said. Sean Kim, President of Hyundai Motorsport. “His extensive experience and achievements in careers in various specialties will prove vital when we seek to establish ourselves as the benchmark in our motorsport programmes. As well as managing all of our technical resources, he will also work closely with the R&D groups within Hyundai Motor Company as we look to strengthen and boost our rally and racing performance.”
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal, Cyril Abitebol, explained that “after taking some time to immerse myself in the company and its activities, it became clear to me that we needed a unifying presence within our technical departments. Having François-Xavier on board as Technical Director is an incredibly exciting opportunity to expand and grow Hyundai’s motorsport programs. In addition to improving our current competitiveness, it will help us define the future of the company by incorporating improvements to our facilities to transform our capabilities into those of a world-class motorsports organization. He knows what it takes not only to win, but to dominate in motorsport, and it is that experience that we need to channel our efforts and win championship titles for years to come.”
François-Xavier Demaison has assured that “I am tremendously excited to start this new role with Hyundai Motorsport. It is clear that it has fantastic potential in the field of motorsports, both in existing efforts and in future initiatives, especially electric motorsports programmes. My mission is to improve and grow the capabilities of the operation to make it one of the best in the world. I enjoy this challenge and look forward to working with the staff who have already achieved great things in World Rally Championship and their customer racing programs.”