Hyundai Motorsport has strengthened its senior management team with two new appointments, as the group prepares to make its FIA WEC debut in 2026 with the Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 Hypercar.

Sébastien Metz will become the company’s operations director, while Massimo Carriero will take up the position of head of engineering, from 1st January 2026 in a pair of newly created roles.

Metz and Carriero will oversee both Genesis’ Hypercar effort and Hyundai’s WRC programme, alongside any additional future Hyundai Motorsport projects, and come equipped with experience in both sportscar racing and rallying.

Metz joins Hyundai Motorsport after seven years at Multimatic, overseeing its LMDh and GT3 programmes in the role of motorsports business director. The Frenchman has also previously worked for Ligier Automotive, Marc VDS Racing Team, Team Goh and Volkswagen Motorsport.

“I am truly honoured to be joining Hyundai Motorsport,” Metz said. “It is a great source of pride to have my experience and professionalism recognised by a manufacturer of such stature.”

Carriero, meanwhile, joins from McLaren, where he is currently the principal test and development engineer. The Italian has also spent time at M-Sport, across both its sportscar and rally programmes.

“Sharing my time with Cyril [Abiteboul], FX [Demaison], and Hyundai Motorsport is a valuable opportunity to contribute to ongoing motorsport projects and be part of a solid, forward-looking group,” Carriero commented.

Hyundai Motorsport president Cyril Abiteboul added: “The appointments of Sébastien and Massimo to new roles at Hyundai Motorsport are a key step in the future of our business. They come to Hyundai Motorsport with valuable experience that spans multiple motorsport disciplines, including rallying and endurance racing where our focus currently lies.

“Adding the positions of operations director and head of engineering to our team structure, as well the recent appointment of Andrew Wheatley as sporting director for our WRC team, strengthens the team for the future and will mean that each person can focus more closely on their responsibilities, allowing us to work more efficiently across all our programmes.”

Images courtesy of Hyundai Motorsport and Genesis