An FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) starting grid often attracts various personalities, and the 6 Hours of Bahrain was no exception with the visit by Fernando Alonso, Ferrari driver and two-time F1 world champion.

Genesis Magma Racing has lifted the veil on the GMR-001 Hypercar, which combines design and Korean heritage. Previewed ahead of the 2025 New York International Auto Show, the car marks Genesis' entry into the hypercar category, with the ultimate goal of competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours from 2026.

The Korean manufacturer is building on its &ldquo;Athletic Elegance&rdquo; design philosophy to present a prototype that is both sleek and sculptural. With its performance-oriented design, the GMR-001 embodies a new vision of motor sport, in which form meets endurance demands. &quot;The GMR-001 Hypercar, like any race car, is a sculpture shaped by the constraints of efficiency and performance, combined with the Genesis design DNA,&quot;&nbsp;explains Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis Creative Director. 
Genesis&#39; signature dual-line lighting extends to the front and rear, ensuring a strong visual identity and optimum night-time visibility, essential for 24-hour events.

<h2>A livery inspired by Korean culture</h2>

The livery of the GMR-001 plays with gradations ranging from Magma orange to a deep red, echoing the heat of the engine and the Doppler effect of the sound of the twin-turbo V8. The Korean alphabet lettering of &ldquo;Magma&rdquo; (마그마) is integrated into the rear, fusing modernity and heritage.

Although the car&#39;s full specification is still confidential, Genesis has confirmed that the GMR-001&#39;s chassis and hybrid powertrain have been developed in partnership with ORECA Motorsport. Particular attention has been paid to aerodynamics, with a flat floor, integrated scoops and a sculpted parabolic line all designed to optimise performance over long distances.

<h2>A remarkable debut in the ELMS</h2>

Prior to its official entry in the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship in 2026, Genesis Magma Racing is making its debut in the European Le Mans Series with an Oreca 07 LMP2 entered by IDEC Sport. The team of Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert and Daniel Juncadella finished second overall in the 4 Hours of Barcelona and first in the LMP2 class. &quot;Today marks an important milestone for Genesis Magma Racing with the presentation of the GMR-001 Hypercar, our livery and racing suits,&quot;&nbsp;said Cyril Abiteboul, Genesis Magma Racing Team Principal. &quot;We&#39;re not just building a racing team; we&#39;re building a legacy.&quot;

To carry Genesis&#39; ambitions high, the team will be able to count on three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Andr&eacute; Lotterer and four-time Sebring 12 Hours winner Luis &ldquo;Pipo&rdquo; Derani. &quot;Putting this combination together made me realise just how exciting this opportunity is,&quot;&nbsp;says Andr&eacute; Lotterer. &quot;It embodies Genesis&#39; commitment to design and performance. You can feel the pride in every detail. Racing for Genesis Magma Racing is a real honour. I can&#39;t wait to push the GMR-001 to its limits on legendary circuits like Le Mans, Daytona and many others.&quot;

With a strikingly designed hypercar, real ambitions and major partners, Genesis Magma Racing is putting the Le Mans 24 Hours at the heart of its strategy. The GMR-001 Hypercar, expected on the grid in 2026, will be the on-track embodiment of Korean expertise, combining innovation, identity and technical excellence.

Genesis Magma Racing unveils the livery of its GMR-001 Hypercar

McLaren Racing is set to join the Hypercar grid for the 2027 season of the FIA WEC Endurance World Championship, with aspirations of a triumphant return to 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This strategic decision marks a clear statement of intent: McLaren is ready to rekindle the glory days of its endurance racing past. Thirty years after its Le Mans victory, the iconic British marque &ndash; famed for its bold papaya orange livery &ndash; is aiming for a comeback worthy of its illustrious legacy at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

In that short but impactful statement, Zak Brown confirmed McLaren&rsquo;s return to the world of endurance racing &ndash; reviving a deep-rooted connection with both the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 1995, the team stormed to victory on its Le Mans d&eacute;but with the McLaren F1 GTR. That triumph, along with wins at the Monaco Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500 in 1975, earned McLaren the prestigious Triple Crown of motorsport &ndash; an honour claimed by only a select few. 
So this new Hypercar campaign, launching in 2027, is far more than a technical venture. It&rsquo;s a bold return to the pursuit of excellence &ndash; and glory.

<h2>A star-studded Hypercar field</h2>

McLaren will join the ever more impressive field of manufacturers competing in the premier league of endurance racing. It will follow <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/genesis-takes-the-wraps-of-its-gmr-001-hypercar-59196" target="_blank">Genesis Magma Racing</a>, set to enter in 2026, and make its d&eacute;but alongside <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-in-the-top-class-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-in-2027-59293" target="_blank">Ford</a>, also confirmed for 2027.

The arrival of these high-profile competitors is a testament to the ever-growing allure of the FIA WEC&rsquo;s Hypercar class and the 24 Hours of Le Mans &ndash; a stage where the world&rsquo;s biggest automotive names battle for supremacy at motorsport&rsquo;s most iconic race.

McLaren Racing to join the Hypercar fray in 2027

At this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans (11–15 June), the Automobile Club de l’Ouest will be tipping its hat at two eminent motorsport personalities.

<h2>Yannick Dalmas, Grand Marshal of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans</h2>

Four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Yannick Dalmas will have the honour of setting the pace for the 62 cars on the grid during the starting procedure on Saturday 14 June, shortly before 4&nbsp;p.m. 
 
The distinguished ex-Formula One driver triumphed at Le Mans with four different manufacturers: Peugeot in 1992, Porsche in 1994, McLaren in 1995, and BMW in 1999. 
Following a single-seater racing career, including Formula One, he went on to become an endurance racing specialist. Several generations of racing drivers have benefited from his wealth of experience, which he shares as a consultant to race teams and as an FIA ambassador. As Grand Marshal, Yannick Dalmas will contribute his undying passion and immense know-how to the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<h2>Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Spirit of Le Mans 2025</h2>

Every year, the Spirit of Le Mans trophy is awarded to someone who embodies the values of endurance racing: commitment, passion, team spirit and perseverance. Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo is this year&rsquo;s recipient. 
As an amateur driver, Fran&ccedil;ois has become an acclaimed figure of endurance racing paddocks in the last decade. He boasts several FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Am wins and was LMP2 Pro-Am champion in 2022. 
Aside from running a company, Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo is a car collector and accomplished racing driver. An ambassador for the endurance discipline, his unique combination of skills, resilience, humility and determination embodies the spirit of Le Mans. 
 
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l&#39;Ouest:&nbsp;&ldquo;We are delighted to pay tribute to Yannick Dalmas and Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo at this year&rsquo;s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Yannick Dalmas is an endurance racing legend who has won Le Mans four times, with four different manufacturers. His track record and his ongoing commitment made him the ideal candidate to be Grand Marshal this year. Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo represents the Spirit of Le Mans to perfection. A champion amateur driver, he radiates enthusiasm, and his sense of commitment is a real strength in this discipline. We are proud to celebrate their contribution to endurance racing this year.&rdquo;

<h4>LAST CHANCE!</h4>

Enjoy the Practice &amp; Qualifying sessions and the new Hyperpole format and then head to the concert arena for the evening&rsquo;s live music. Tickets are on sale from &euro;23 for students and &euro;62 for Green Tickets, which reward sustainable transport choices.

&gt;&gt;&gt;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/tickets" target="_blank"> Ticketing</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

24 Hours of Le Mans 2025: The Automobile Club de l’Ouest shows its appreciation of Yannick

The 4 Hours of Barcelona kicked off the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) with a bang this weekend. The 2025 season opener delivered a job-dropping overall win by AF Corse entered in LMP2 Pro/Am. Just two months ahead of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans on 11-15 June, the performance set quite the tone for upcoming battles in the LMP2 and LMGT3 classes.

AF Corse&#39;s Matthieu Vaxivi&egrave;re clinched the team&#39;s victory&nbsp;in the final moments of the race at&nbsp;the wheel of the #83 ORECA-Gibson. The French driver managed to overtake three&nbsp;LMP2s in the last lap. He shares the triumph with teammates&nbsp;Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo and&nbsp;Alessio Rovera, LMP2 Pro/Am winners last year. They couldn&#39;t have hoped for a better&nbsp;launch to their&nbsp;2025 campaign just two months from the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans where&nbsp;17 prototypes will go head to head in an&nbsp;LMP2 class more fiercely competitive than ever.

<h2>Jamie Chadwick Makes History</h2>

IDEC Sport claimed the top step on the&nbsp;LMP2 podium with the #18 ORECA driven by&nbsp;Jamie Chadwick, Daniel Juncadella and&nbsp;Mathys Jaubert. Chadwick became the first woman&nbsp;in ELMS history to win the LMP2 class. The team beat out&nbsp;VDS Panis Racing&#39;s #48 ORECA.

<h2>The Iron Dames make their Mark in&nbsp;LMGT3</h2>

The&nbsp;Iron Dames took the LMGT3 class with the #85&nbsp;Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 shared by&nbsp;C&eacute;lia Martin, Sarah Bovy and&nbsp;Michelle Gatting, scoring the outfit&#39;s third ELMS win after a flawless race. Gatting staved off constant pressure from&nbsp;Daniel Serra in Kessel Racing&#39;s #57&nbsp;Ferrari 296 LMGT3, earning this all-female driver line-up a breathtaking victory.

The showing sets the team up well heading&nbsp;into the 2025 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans. The&nbsp;Iron Dames will aim for the top spot in&nbsp;the packed 24-car LMGT3 class.

This opening round in Barcelona is&nbsp;already resonating in the run-up to the 93rd running of the race. All eyes will be on AF Corse, Iron Dames and IDEC Sport where the battles promise to be more intense than ever in LMP2,&nbsp;LMGT3 and of course&nbsp;Hypercar.

ELMS – AF Corse wins the 4 Hours of Barcelona

It is not the first time that Fernando Alonso has been present at the starting grid of an FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) round since the Spanish driver gave the start at the 82nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. While uncertainty has reigned and rumours have been circulating about the future of the Ferrari driver&#39;s career, he was sure to come visit his friend Mark Webber who this year moved from F1 to endurance by becoming an official Porsche driver.

	<img class="imgVideo" id="3387" src="/wpphpFichiers/video/3387-interview-fernando-alonso.jpg" />

	&nbsp;

	Thierry Arman &amp; C&eacute;cile Bonardel / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

24H LE MANS

WEC - Fernando Alonso on the starting grid in Bahrain (video)

Related News

Genesis Magma Racing unveils the livery of its GMR-001 Hypercar

McLaren Racing to join the Hypercar fray in 2027

24 Hours of Le Mans 2025: The Automobile Club de l’Ouest shows its appreciation of Yannick

ELMS – AF Corse wins the 4 Hours of Barcelona

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