On Thursday, the first leg of the new WRC season – Rally Monte Carlo started. Before the start of the races, the new head of the Hyundai factory team, Cyril Abiteboul, came out to meet with journalists. Given Abiteboul’s wealth of motorsport experience, he was asked if the Korean carmaker was planning to debut in Formula 1.
“We have no specific plans,” replied Cyril Abiteboul when asked about Formula 1. “It is clear that Hyundai is committed to global development and introducing a new and unique product line, so participation in motorsport is important to us in terms of business support.
We believe that participation in the World Rally Championship is the best way to maintain sales of “A Class” cars. We want to see how this segment develops in the future and we want to make sure participation in the rally remains relevant. This is our top priority at the moment. We must win and ensure that participation in the rally is in the interest of the core business.
As for Formula 1, I don’t want to say ‘yes’ because there will be headlines right away that Hyundai is entering Formula 1. First, we have to make sure it’s in the best interest of the company to be in a series.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
