Sargeant deserves the possibility to begin over with the Genesis WEC project

Logan Sargeant is given a 'platform' to step as much as the brand new Genesis squad for the 2026 World Endurance Championship via the LMP2 program in next 12 months's European Le Mans Series.

Cyril Abiteboul, team principal of Genesis Magma Racing, explained that the thought of ​​the so-called trajectory program at ELMS, which was joined by former Williams Formula 1 driver Sargeant, together with Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, is a vital a part of preparations for Hyundai's entry into the WEC in 2026.

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“Trajectory is a program that gives engineers, mechanics and technicians the chance to realize their motorsport dreams with us,” said Abiteboul, who can be president of Hyundai Motorsport, which has prepared Genesis' transition to high-end sports automobile racing with the brand new LMDh prototype .

“We [also] we would like to provide drivers the chance to participate in what we’re working on.

“You will see several drivers in Genesis colours, in addition to engineers, technicians and mechanics: they will likely be learning what endurance means, in order that they’ll bring this information to our future WEC team.

“There will be a very strong bond between these drivers and us, so maybe there is a future between them and us starting in 2026.”

Cyril Abiteboul, team principal of the Hyundai World Rally Team

Photo: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport

Abiteboul stressed that no targets have been set for the three drivers that may guarantee them a move to the Genesis WEC factory team, which was the primary to amass Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani.

“We want to keep it a bit loose, without any mechanism,” Abiteboul told Motorsport.com. “We're giving them a chance, a platform, and then we'll see what happens.”

The trajectory program will likely be implemented in cooperation with the IDEC Sport team, which finished third in P2 at this 12 months's 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Abiteboul explained that the collection of drivers to enter the trajectory – one in all two P2 ORECA-Gibson 07 IDECs that may compete within the ELMS next 12 months – was made in cooperation with the team.

He announced that they decided to provide a probability to Sargeant, who was replaced at Williams by Franco Colapinto after the Dutch Grand Prix in August, because “he deserves a chance to reset after the difficulties he faced in F1.”

IDEC sporting director Nicolas Minassian, a former Peugeot LMP1 driver, revealed he was impressed with Sargeant when he trialled at Paul Ricard driving one in all the team's ORECAs last month.

“Logan was very open and excited to drive a race car again after a bad patch,” he said.

“I liked his humility: he is very humble, passionate and motivated – we put him in the car and he was very strong.”

Sargeant wasn't recent to LMP2 or sports automobile racing: he began two ELMS races within the TF Sport Team Turkey ORECA in 2021, the identical 12 months he took part in three rounds of the Michelin-sponsored Le Mans Cup ELMS series, leading Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo.

Abiteboul explained that the Genesis team will operate independently once it starts racing the automobile, which will likely be known within the WEC because the GMR-001 Hypercar.

Origin of LMDh

Photo: Genesis

“The end game is to have autonomy, which we want to have for many reasons, but we need the help and support of some people to achieve it,” he said. “That is the goal of the partnership with IDEC – to accomplish exactly that.”

The GMR team will likely be assembled by Frankfurt-based Hyundai Motorsport, which operates the South Korean manufacturer's World Rally Championship program, and workshops will likely be conducted at Paul Ricard.

It will likely be situated in a brand new business park built by Groupe IDEC International, the parent company of the French racing team, adjoining to France's famous Mistral Straight.

The French designer ORECA, on whose chassis spine the GMR-001 will likely be based, can be based near Paul RIcard in Signes.