Record victory for Mercedes-AMG and Maro Engel at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau

• Mercedes-AMG extends record with ninth GT3 win at the Guia Circuit
• Sixth consecutive success for the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in Macau
• Maro Engel: “We took our chance with both hands.”
  

Mercedes-AMG’s participation in the prestigious FIA GT World Cup at Macau was once again rewarded with a victory this weekend. It was the sixth consecutive success for the brand from Affalterbach at the 71st running of the Macau Grand Prix, making it the most successful manufacturer to date in the GT3 event on the challenging Guia Circuit with a total of nine wins. On Sunday, Maro Engel (GER) took first place for the Mercedes-AMG Team GMR from Hong Kong in an eventful wet race. Mercedes-AMG thus also won the manufacturers’ title in Macau for the fifth time.

Qualifying
The starting grid for the qualification race was determined in dry conditions on Friday. The 30-minute session ended prematurely with a red flag due to an incident four minutes before the end. Maro Engel was the fastest Mercedes-AMG driver with a lap time of 2:16.764 minutes on the 6.120-kilometre street circuit and finished third. Due to the early end, Daniel Juncadella (ESP) from the also Hong Kong-based Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing was unable to improve his lap time and stayed 13th. Ralf Aron (EST), who lined up for Toro Racing from Mainland China, concluded qualifying in 15th place. In the second Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing entry, Jules Gounon (AND) made contact with the barriers around ten minutes into the session and finished at the back of the 23-car grid without a valid lap time.

Qualification Race
The qualifying race over a distance of 12 laps on Saturday also took place in dry weather conditions and was held without incidents or interruptions. Maro Engel initially lost a position in the starting phase, but was then able to keep up with the pace of the leading group and held his own against the rest of the competition. He crossed the finish line in fourth place, four and a half seconds behind the winner. Daniel Juncadella and Ralf Aron both improved by one position over the course of the race to finish 12th and 14th respectively, while Jules Gounon joined the race from the pit lane and saw the chequered flag in 22nd place. The result of the qualifying race determined the starting grid for the FIA GT World Cup race.

Main Race
The final 16-lap race took place on Sunday in wet conditions. Due to the weather conditions, the race was started behind the safety car. The lead car initially neutralised the race for five laps before it went green. Maro Engel then put relentless pressure on the third-placed car, resulting in contact between the two vehicles. The Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver took third place, but received a 5-second time penalty, which was added to his race time after the finish. In the following laps, Engel fought his way closer to the two leaders and joined the battle for victory. On the 15th lap, he took the lead after a contact between his two opponents in front of him. With the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap, he drove towards an unchallenged fourth victory on the streets of Macau. At the finish, his lead over the runner-up was over eleven seconds. Daniel Juncadella, Ralf Aron and Jules Gounon finished 10th, 12th and 19th respectively.

- Advertisement -

Race Facts, FIA GT World Cup 2024

>> Results FIA GT World Cup 2024

“We quickly realised after qualifying that we didn’t quite have the pace to fight for victory on pure performance. That’s why we did everything we could to be there when the opportunity arose. Maro drove phenomenally in the main race and this fourth victory is an outstanding achievement. He waited for his opportunity and was rewarded for it. I’m incredibly happy for him and the entire Mercedes-AMG Team GMR. Congratulations to Kenny Chen, who brought victory to Affalterbach for us with his fantastic team. The fact that we were able to further extend our record rounds off this great weekend. Many thanks to our Customer Racing Teams and to everyone involved in this success. We want to return next year and defend our title again.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing

“It’s unbelievable! I’m over the moon and proud to have taken my fourth win in Macau. It was definitely one of the toughest, if not the toughest weekend we’ve had here so far. We saw that we didn’t have the performance to win in the dry. When I woke up last night and heard the heavy rain, I thought to myself that this could be our chance. It was an intense race and of course you always need a bit of luck in Macau. We took our chance with both hands. A big thank you to Mercedes-AMG and especially to my crew from Mercedes-AMG Team GMR. Everyone did an incredible job and gave me a mega car.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team GMR #130

“It was a somewhat unfortunate weekend for us. I had certainly expected a lot more, but we were simply unlucky with the timing of the red flag in qualifying. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do much more with this starting position. At least we were able to move forward in both races, but more than tenth place was not possible on Sunday. Macau is a very special place and this time we didn’t have luck on our side. Thanks to Mercedes-AMG and the Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing for their good work this weekend.”
Daniel Juncadella, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing #77

“My first GT3 weekend in Macau is done! The most important thing is that we finished both races with an intact car, which is already an achievement here. We improved massively over the weekend. In a way, it was lucky for me that I was able to experience all kinds of weather and track conditions on my GT3 debut at this demanding circuit. I went through a huge learning curve as a result and we were one of the fastest cars in the race. So overall, we can be super satisfied and I can’t wait to come back.”
Ralf Aron, Toro Racing #7

“I am very happy for Mercedes-AMG and for Maro about this great success. Of course, the results were not satisfactory for me. A small mistake had major consequences for me in qualifying, but that’s the nature of this race track. Many thanks to my team, which worked hard throughout the weekend. Unfortunately, the set-up of the car was not quite where we would have liked it to be. I still have a score to settle with Macau and would be happy to try again next year.”
Jules Gounon, Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing #99