Genesis Magma Racing is adopting a step-by-step, day-by-day approach to its FIA World Endurance Championship bow in Italy next weekend (17-19 April), with André Lotterer dismissing any ‘crazy expectations’ and Paul-Loup Chatin comparing the scale of the challenge ahead not to ‘a single mountain’, but rather ‘an entire mountain range’.
The 2026 FIA WEC campaign will mark the Hyundai luxury brand’s maiden motorsport programme. Having clocked up some 25,000km of on-track running since last August, the forthcoming 6 Hours of Imola will be the first true litmus test of the progress it has made with its GMR-001, as the South Korean Hypercar goes directly head-to-head against its more well-established rivals.
“Imola will be a huge moment for Genesis Magma Racing, and Genesis as a manufacturer,” acknowledged Team Principal, Cyril Abiteboul. “As a new entrant, we know we are not in a position to pursue performance at the start of the season. Instead, our focus will be on things we can control in our reliability and operations, making sure we do the small things right first, before we can expect results.”
The postponement of the Qatar 1812km gave Genesis extra time to prepare for its keenly-awaited debut at the pinnacle of the long-distance discipline. The team will travel to the iconic Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari aiming to build upon the solid foundations it laid during a test session at the track in February, when it simulated race runs and worked to establish a baseline set-up to successfully tackle the narrow and technical Emilia-Romagna circuit.
“Imola is one of the tightest tracks on the calendar, it’s very demanding in terms of traffic management and it’s quite busy for the drivers,” reflected two-time world champion Lotterer, who will lead the charge in the ‘liquid metal’ #17 entry. “It’s one of the bumpiest tracks we visit and requires a car that is nimble and able to go over the kerbs and absorb the bumps.
“As a driver, you always try to maximise what you have, but in this case we don’t know what we have compared to the competition, so we don’t have crazy expectations. We want to finish the race and gain as much experience as possible. We’ll focus on ourselves and learn as much as we can to enable us to continue building the team and leave Imola stronger.”
Alongside two-time IMSA title-winner Luis Felipe ‘Pipo’ Derani, Lotterer contributed considerably to the early development of the GMR-001, with both drivers having joined the project at the end of 2024. The initial plan was for the pair to pilot different cars, but their close working relationship ultimately resulted in them teaming up together.
“Our first goal for the season has to be to become a proper team,” commented the Brazilian, whose last full campaign in the series was back in 2016 in LMP2. “There are so many great people here. What we’ve already done is a massive achievement, like climbing Mount Everest, only higher, and now we get to live what one-and-a-half-years ago was a dream.
“This is the time to polish everything – have the pit-stops done right, make sure people know exactly what they need to do. The reality is we need to create small targets for ourselves, tick those boxes bit-by-bit and accomplish small wins each day. For the first race, we can hopefully make as few mistakes as possible and get to the finish without any major issues, the second race finish a little better and slowly push the targets further and further towards the front.
“While we would have preferred to compete in Qatar as it would have provided a ten-hour race before Le Mans, the additional month before the start of the season was definitely helpful for us. Imola is one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar, making it a significant test as a team in our first event. If we perform well, it will boost confidence for the following rounds.”
Derani and Lotterer will be flanked by FIA WEC newcomer Mathys Jaubert in the #17 Genesis, with Mathieu Jaminet, Daniel Juncadella and Chatin teaming up in the sister, predominantly black #19 prototype. The latter echoes his team-mates’ objectives, advocating unity and humility for the journey that lies ahead.
“I’m very pleased to see the 2026 season finally getting underway,” enthused the Frenchman, winner of the world championship’s landmark 100th race at Fuji last September with Alpine. “It represents the start of a new personal challenge for me, but also a significant milestone for everyone at Genesis Magma Racing – I’m extremely proud of what they have achieved in such a short space of time since the team was announced.
“We are not facing a single mountain, but an entire mountain range, and Imola marks the first step in this new chapter. The circuit increases the level of difficulty due to its characteristics, particularly the bumps and aggressive kerbs, which require specific qualities from the car. It’s a real challenge that will teach us a lot for the rest of the programme. Our primary goal will be to focus on ourselves and execute a clean race from start-to-finish.”
Together, Genesis’ two driving crews combine championship-winning knowledge, development expertise and youthful ambition. Sporting Director, Gabriele Tarquini is confident such a blend of attributes will play a key role in propelling the team up the order as quickly as possible.
“Each of our drivers brings something different, and that’s exactly what makes a strong endurance line-up,” the Italian affirmed. “We have drivers whose extensive Hypercar experience has been extremely valuable in developing the car, and others who, with the enthusiasm of rookies, will help us to overcome the difficulties we will certainly face during our first season.
“But beyond individual strengths, what really matters is how they work together. Endurance racing is about trust, communication and shared responsibility. We know our competitors are very strong, but I’m sure we have everything we need to start fighting with them soon.”
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