All-rounder Juncadella ready for a new direction in Hypercar with Genesis

Before becoming one of the most accomplished GT drivers in the world, Daniel Juncadella’s background in single-seaters and in silhouette DTM touring cars had him touted as one of the talents that Formula 1 let slip through their fingers. Yet at this time 12 months ago, he still wasn’t on the radar for a move up to top-tier prototype racing. Then, just before the start of the European Le Mans Series, former F1 driver Logan Sargeant walked away from his place in the Genesis Magma Racing Trajectory Program and a seat in IDEC Sport’s No. 18 ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 car.

After Sargeant walked away from a program aimed at putting young drivers on the path to Genesis’ new Hypercar program in the FIA World Endurance Championship, Juncadella – not quite so young as he once was, but still in prime form – stepped in to join co-drivers Mathys Jaubert and Jamie Chadwick.

Together, they went on to take three LMP2 class wins in six ELMS races, including back-to-back wins at the start of the season, and finished third in the LMP2 championship. That put all three drivers, including Juncadella, on the path to staying with Genesis for the launch of the new GMR-001 Hypercar.

• Genesis confirms driver combinations for inaugural Hypercar season

“When I joined the program in LMP2 it was still early days, and it was an added program for me in a prototype, which was interesting because it would open up possibilities for the future,” Juncadella told RACER. “It was funny because the meeting I had for that program was at the Qatar WEC race on Friday, before the event, in the parking lot. I had a meeting with Cyril [Abiteboul, Hyundai Motorsport team principal] and Nico Minassian from IDEC. We understood each other for LMP2, and I was good to go. And then after the first two events, we won both races, which obviously always helps in terms of hype; then we started thinking [about] Hypercar.

“It was clear my goal was to get a shot somewhere. Ideally in the first place, I would have liked to be linked to GM, since I was part of GM already with Corvette, but it looked like that opportunity was going to take longer. And I could see the interest straight away from Genesis. So I think by Le Mans this year, it was not decided, but it was pretty clear that there was an opportunity there and I informed Corvette straight away that my wish was to pursue an opportunity in Hypercar there.”

Corvette opportunities for Juncadella have included endurance runs in IMSA as well as FIA WEC, and he's eager for more with the brand alongside his Genesis outings. Brandon Badraoui/Lumen via Getty Images

By August, Juncadella was officially signed with Genesis Magma Racing for the 2026 WEC season, driving the GMR-001 for the first time in Portugal at the Algarve International Circuit the following month. Since then, he’s had more run time at Magny-Cours and Aragón. And over time, he’s helped the GMR-001 take steps forward in its performance.

“In terms of when I drove in Portimão in September, and then end of October in Magny-Cours, [there] was a big step forward,” he said of those improvements. “There's things in terms of systems and complications that Hypercar has, like all the hybrid management and drivability of the car in that sense, which I'm still new to.

“I've been looking forward to drive a Hypercar for a long time, and every time I jump in the car, I'm enjoying it massively. I think the base is incredibly good – ORECA does a very good job with the chassis. I think that's a very powerful tool we have right now, and the rest is just nourishing little things. But I think we're making really big steps.

“[In] Hypercar, there is much more in terms of analysis that you can go through with all the systems, and that's what's going to take a while for us as a team to understand. But I'm up for the challenge, and in the end, I'm at a time in my career where I want to make that step to work harder on details.”

It was with a Mercedes-Benz engine that Juncadella won the inaugural FIA Formula 3 European Championship in 2012, and it was as a Mercedes-Benz factory driver that Juncadella spent 11 years racing in DTM, GT World Challenge Europe, and IMSA. Victories in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Spa 24 Hours, and championships in the GT World Europe Endurance Cup and Intercontinental GT Challenge, made Juncadella one of the top GT3 drivers in that time frame

But despite all that, Juncadella had made only one start in an LMP2 car prior to this season – back in the 2018 Rolex 24, as part of a star-studded Jackie Chan DC Racing team run by JOTA.

LMP2 chances via the Genesis Trajectory Program this year were a revelation for Juncadella. Laurent Cartalade/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

“It's quite frustrating that in the past, I haven't had chances with Hypercar because they told me, ‘Oh well, you don't have much prototype experience,'” he recalls. “LMP2 is a very good car, and it's good prep for Hypercar, but Hypercar is a big GT with a lot of power and no ABS, essentially it's like nothing that I learned in an LMP2 this year. I think LMP2 is a great series, and it's a great car. I mean, I loved it. I drove at Spa this year in the ELMS, and the thing has incredible downforce. And after driving it, I was like, ‘I don't want to drive a GT ever again around Spa,’ but there's so many similarities between Hypercar and GT.

“Also in GT, when you work with a manufacturer like Corvette, you learn a lot of things that LMP2 doesn't teach you with private teams. So I think that has a lot of added value that you can bring into Hypercar.”

It eventually led Juncadella to leave the "Silver Arrows" at the end of 2024, a year in which he also began driving for Corvette Racing. He’s spent the last two seasons driving for UK customer team TF Sport in the WEC, and as a Michelin Endurance Cup driver for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports.

Reflecting on his two years with TF Sport, Juncadella said, “First thing with TF, I found a team that I was genuinely impressed with. I’ve worked with many mechanics, engineers, and they've been very good in all senses and also in the human side, but especially Tom Ferrier.

“I think he's an incredible guy, probably one of the most honest team owners I've ever come across. Nothing that he has ever said has been twisted around; he's always been fully honest, fully transparent. I've never met someone like him in a racing team in my career so far, so that I will definitely miss.”

Juncadella’s primary focus this season will be his new role with Genesis Magma Racing, driving the No. 19 GMR-001 alongside reigning IMSA GTP champion Mathieu Jaminet, and prototype veteran Paul-Loup Chatin. A lighter schedule will give Juncadella some much-needed flexibility after juggling five different projects throughout 2025.

“The good thing about Genesis is they are quite flexible with me doing other programs,” he notes. “I would like to add some races to my calendar, but I feel like my goal is to just do certain big races, like the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Spa 24 Hours, and ideally with Corvette. If I can do some races with them, I would prefer to do that rather than other manufacturers. But my goal, instead of adding too many races, I would like to focus on the big ones.

“I have a couple of options, but I also don't want to overwhelm my calendar too much, because it's going to be my first year in Hypercar. It's a lot to learn, and I also have the simulator driver stuff with Aston Martin F1, which is challenging because you're traveling a lot, and it's a difficult year in F1 next year with the new regulations.

“I need to decide what I want to prioritize and not do too much, because this year, it felt like a bit too much with WEC, IMSA, then also ELMS and F1. So I want to reduce a bit.”