What to expect from Genesis at Le Mans

Of all the teams contesting this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, few will be as keen on managing expectations as Genesis.

Having entered the Hypercar class at a time when the regulations are at their most mature, the team has repeatedly stated its prioritisation of reliability and running time over marquee results.

This was reflected in the season opener at Imola. A sensor issue on the No.19 car was the only major blemish. The No.17 car ran largely untroubled and even held up the No.50 Ferrari for several laps while recovering from a drive-through penalty. Both cars took the chequered flag, having completed a combined total of 400 laps.

Last time out at Spa, it was the No.19 car that struggled with electrical issues, though it was able to finish the race in 13th position. The decision to short-fuel the No.17 car for its second stint vaulted Mathys Jaubert up to 10th.

Despite suffering from a loss of power, the team made another bold strategy call and decided not to change tyres during the final virtual safety car. This elevated ‘Pipo’ Derani to eighth, a position he held to the flag.

He may have benefitted from the high rate of attrition, but the defence Derani put on against the No.51 Ferrari and No.8 Toyota cannot be overlooked.

With Genesis having scored points at only the second time of asking, the temptation to expect more of the same at Le Mans is significant. Not least because Chung Eui-sun, executive chairman of the Hyundai Motor Group, will be in attendance.

However, Le Mans is likely to be the biggest challenge Genesis Magma Racing have faced thus far. Not only is it four times the length of the opening two rounds in terms of time, but the team’s preparation has been far from ideal.

Pre-event endurance tests were scuppered by ‘operational issues’, while the postponement of the Qatar 1812 km deprived the team of around 10 hours of competitive running.

Genesis is yet to acquire an F1-style driver in the loop simulator, while the construction of their full car and powertrain dynos is only expected to be completed in Q3 of this year.

As a result, team principal Cyril Abiteboul has refused to make any bold claims and insisted that mileage and reliability will be the main targets. Abiteboul has stated that the issues faced at Imola and Belgium were in areas that were well known and that the existing countermeasures may not be as effective over a 24-hour race.

That’s not to say the team is void of hope. Abiteboul insists that, while a trouble-free run is unlikely, he believes there to be a high chance of both cars making it to the finish for the third race in a row.

His hopes will have no doubt been bolstered after qualifying as both cars have made it into Hyperpole for the very first time. The leading No.19 car qualified 11th, less than a second off the pace-setting Alpine, while the sister No.17 car managed the 13th fastest time, ahead of no fewer than three AF Corse Ferraris.

Speaking to The Pit Stop Endurance after free practice, Mathys Jaubert described the GMR-001’s pace as “not too bad” and was hopeful, having completed a qualifying simulation run at the end of the session.

After securing a spot in Hyperpole, Daniel Juncadella praised his team’s efforts and was “pumped” to have made a step forward. Derani stated that qualifying had been informative but admitted to there being “a couple of things that could be better”.

The Genesis driver’s overall assessment was positive, though he did state that the forthcoming nighttime practice session would be vital in understanding how consistent the overall package really is.

Given the project’s infancy, Genesis’ focus will revert back to accumulating mileage and minimising reliability issues at Le Mans. However, if the team’s initial pace is anything to go by, a clean run with minimal reliability issues could yield a major result.