Hyundai Motorsport has appointed former FIA Road Sport Director Andrew Wheatley as its World Rally Championship sporting director with immediate effect.
Wheatley will take up a newly created role within the Korean marque’s WRC operation for the remainder of the 2025 season and next, reporting to Hyundai president and team principal Cyril Abiteboul.
“Wheatley will support the senior leadership team, working closely with Technical Director François-Xavier Demaison, Team Manager Pablo Marcos and WRC Head of Engineering Jan de Jongh to drive performance and solve complex sporting challenges,” a statement from Hyundai explained.
Wheatley will bring a wealth of experience to the team, having worked within the WRC for 28 years and previously operated as business development manager at M-Sport. Wheatley has also held the role of WRC category manager before taking on the FIA Road Sport director role.
This weekend’s Central European Rally will mark Wheatley’s first event working as Hyundai’s sporting director.
“I am delighted to join Hyundai Motorsport as WRC Sporting Director at this very exciting time,” said Wheatley.
Adrien Fourmaux, Alexandre Coria, Hyundai World Rally Team Hyundai i20 N Rally1
Photo by: Austral / Hyundai Motorsport
“This is a team that has the experience, skill, and strong driver line-up to win world championships.
“My role is to support our experienced team in every department, helping them navigate the day-to-day challenges they face and sharing my knowledge to help drive our performance. All the raw ingredients are there, and my goal is to work alongside Cyril, FX, Pablo and Jan to make our pathway to success as smooth as possible.”
The appointment comes while Hyundai has shifted some of its resources to its new World Endurance Championship programme, which will see its Genesis brand join the series next year.
“Andrew’s appointment as WRC sporting director is an important strengthening of Hyundai Motorsport’s leadership,” said Hyundai president Cyril Abiteboul.
“As we diversify our motorsport portfolio, it is essential that we enhance the management focus for each of our activities.
“In addition to his unwavering passion for rally, Andrew brings a wealth of experience that will bolster our WRC operations, supporting the crews and Hyundai Motorsport’s senior management in the day-to-day operations in pursuit of success in WRC, as well as in identifying long-term strategic opportunities in the off-road categories.”
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