Genesis Magma Racing Barcelona Test Hits Key Hypercar Milestone
Genesis Magma Racing closed a demanding 2025 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with a three-day test from 10–12 December, marking a significant step in the GMR-001 Hypercar development programme ahead of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship.
Just over a year after the team’s official launch in Dubai, the Barcelona test highlighted the progress Genesis Magma Racing has made across the season. The squad built its operation from the ground up, uniting endurance racing technicians and engineers with Hyundai Motorsport staff from the Trajectory Program, who embedded within the IDEC Sport LMP2 team. The team used the test as a full-scale evaluation of operational processes, fielding complete crews of mechanics and engineers for both test cars alongside team management and six-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx, who continues to serve as the team’s Racing Advisor.
Team Manager Anouck Abadie said, “It's like a rehearsal before you go on stage, so that was very important to do. To know that everybody works well together, because when you pick up people from different teams and environments, you don't expect them to know each other at first. So, it was essential for us to run at least one test with almost the full team before closing 2025. We had 75 people, about 80% of the team here, so now we can see if we need to make some adjustments. Overall, I am delighted and optimistic when I see the team working together.”
The programme also reached a key reliability milestone for the Genesis G8MR 3.2l turbo V8 engine that powers the GMR-001 Hypercar. Hyundai Motorsport designed and built the engine, first firing it in February before running extensive dyno testing to meet efficiency, power and durability targets. During the Barcelona test, car #17’s power unit pushed beyond 8,000km, achieving a primary reliability goal before the final day ended.
“It's a massive deal for us to reach our reliability target,” said Genesis Magma Racing Chief Engineer Justin Taylor. “If you go into the season knowing that you can't complete the longest, most important race, then it would be hard to stay motivated. The power unit guys had the biggest task of anybody with this project, so this speaks to the job they’ve done.”
Genesis Magma Racing completed three full days of running with both cars, turning the final test of 2025 into a valuable rehearsal for race-week execution. After confirming the driver line-up for the 2026 WEC season, the team used the session to strengthen collaboration between drivers and engineers in the same working rhythm they will carry into next year.
In car #17, André Lotterer, Pipo Derani and Mathys Jaubert shared driving duties in the GMR-001 Hypercar, which ran a fresh “liquid metal” livery with Korean Hangeul lettering for “Magma” and the geometric Genesis Magma Racing logo on the engine cover. In the second car, Mathieu Jaminet and Dani Juncadella partnered with 2026 Reserve Driver Jamie Chadwick as she continued to build experience in the GMR-001 Hypercar. Paul-Loup Chatin, who will complete the #19 line-up for 2026, did not receive clearance to drive until the new year.
On track, the team concentrated on optimising dependable performance within FIA WEC technical regulations at a circuit that mirrors the demands of several venues on the WEC calendar. Running two cars also doubled the volume of information the engineers could analyse, accelerating learning across performance, software and set-up choices.
André Lotterer said, “We have come a long way since the first test, especially on reliability. So, we were in Barcelona with two cars focused on performance and, in particular, software optimisation. We came with a new aero package, taking what we have learned and also got to try the new tyres on one car. We maximised our time on track and collected a lot of data, so we leave smarter than when we arrived.”
Taylor said, “I think we go into the Christmas break with positive spirits, because we know that we can now start working on other things and have a little bit less to worry about. Certainly, there are a lot of people who have a lot of work left to do next year, but I am confident.”