Hyundai WRC team recruit more former F1 personnel with ex-Williams signing
Williams sporting director FX Demaison. Brazil November 2022.
Former Williams technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison will join ex-Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul at Hyundai, taking on a similar role in their motorsport division.
Demaison will join Abiteboul at Hyundai as technical director and oversee the team’s racing objectives, most notably their burgeoning success in the World Rally Championship – having taken the title in 2019 and 2020.
Demaison had exited Williams at the end of the 2022 season following the surprise departure of team principal Jost Capito, but will now take on a new role in the world of motorsport with Hyundai.
Abiteboul took on his team principal role with Hyundai at the beginning of 2023, with their drivers having taken five podiums between them so far this season – though they currently sit second behind Toyota in the Manufacturers’ standings.
“I am tremendously excited to start this new role with Hyundai Motorsport,” said Demaison upon his arrival.
“It is clear that Hyundai has fantastic potential in the motorsport realm, both in existing endeavours and also looking to future initiatives, especially electric motorsport programmes.
“My remit is to enhance and grow the capabilities of the Hyundai Motorsport operation to be one of the best globally. I relish this challenge and look forward to working with the personnel who have already achieved great things in WRC and their customer racing programmes.”
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Abiteboul said: “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 Francois-Xavier onboard as technical director is an incredibly exciting opportunity to amplify and grow Hyundai’s motorsport programmes.
“As well as improving our current competitiveness, FX will help us to define the future of the company by bringing in improvements to our facilities to transform our capabilities to that of a top-tier motorsport organisation.
“He knows what it takes to not only win, but also dominate in motorsport, and it is that experience that we need to channel our efforts and win championship titles in the years to come.”