- Two Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 cover 3327 kilometers of testing at the Prologue in Qatar
- Three questions for Stefan Wendl about the first test and the sporting chances in the FIA WEC
- Maxime Martin: “I can’t wait to finally start the championship with Mercedes-AMG and Iron Lynx.”
On Friday, February 28, the first race of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) will take place at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. Mercedes-AMG is represented for the first time in the series, which has been held under the umbrella of the FIA since 2012. Two Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 will be fielded by the Italian Customer Racing Team Iron Lynx in the long-distance classic. To participate, the car had to meet special homologation criteria in order to ultimately compete as a Mercedes-AMG LMGT3.
To ensure that Iron Lynx is optimally prepared for the season opener, the team covered 3327 kilometers last Friday and Saturday. The official test days were mandatory for all 36 registered vehicles – 18 hypercars and 18 LMGT3. Two test sessions were held in each case. The two Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 ran without technical problems. This allowed drivers and team to get used to the new conditions.
The #60 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 will be driven by Matteo Cairoli, Matteo Cressoni and Claudio Schiavoni (all ITA). This trio is entering its fifth FIA WEC season together. The #61 car will be driven by Lin Hodenius (NED) – at 18 years old, he is the youngest driver in the field – Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Maxime Martin (BEL) and Christian Ried (GER), who has been involved in the World Championship every season in the current era.
Mercedes-AMG/Iron Lynx Line-up FIA WEC 2025
| No. | Team/Class | Driver |
| 60 | Iron Lynx/LMGT3 | Matteo Cairoli (ITA)Matteo Cressoni (ITA)Claudio Schiavoni (ITA) |
| 61 | Iron Lynx / LMGT3 | Lin Hodenius (NED)Maxime Martin (BEL)Christian Ried (GER) |
Three questions for Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing for the FIA WEC 2025.
Stefan, the last three months have been very intense. Both the team and the drivers were first in action with the Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 at the Prologue. How did the program go from your perspective?
Stefan Wendl: “The Prologue in Qatar was very effective. We are pleased that the Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 worked perfectly from a technical point of view. The new technical regulations of the IMSA, where torque sensors have also been in use since this season, helped us to use them in the FIA/ACO competition with minor adjustments to the hardware. The many hours of preparation that have gone into both vehicles have definitely paid off. We had a very tight program to work through with all six drivers at the Prologue. All our colleagues on site and from the back office here in Affalterbach helped to test the elements that were included in the homologation under live conditions.”
The Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 is not only new for the team, but also for all drivers. What challenges does that bring with it?
Stefan Wendl: “All six drivers had the opportunity to test the car in advance. We covered a total of 3327 kilometers in Qatar last weekend. And every single kilometer is extremely important for the entire team, because in addition to the car setup, the Goodyear tires and the race track in Losail are relatively new to us. The asphalt at the Lusail Circuit and the many medium-fast corners are a challenge for the tires – you need a well-balanced car. We went through the data with the drivers after each stint and made adjustments. With Iron Lynx, we have a very experienced team as a partner, supported by our side with engineers and with Maxime Martin as a Performance Driver. The collaboration with Iron Lynx is off to a very good start. We complement each other perfectly: the team knows the championship, but not yet the car inside out. We know the car but are new to the championship.”
How do you rate the times from the prologue and what do you expect for the race in Qatar and the whole season?
Stefan Wendl: “During the prologue, we concentrated exclusively on the set-up of the cars, the familiarization of the drivers and the training of the team. Therefore, the times are not relevant for us at first. Realistically, I don’t see us as favorites for the LMGT3 title in our first year of participation. But I hope that we will be able to win one or two races. For the first race in Qatar, we definitely need a few strategy options to be able to think ahead a little. We are just at the beginning of our collaboration with Iron Lynx. In the long term, I see a lot of potential.”
Numbers, Data, Facts
| FIA WEC 2025: Eight Races – 28. February: 1812km of Qatar (10-Stunden-Rennen) – 20. April: 6 Hours of Imola – 10. May: TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – 11. till 15. June: 24 Hours of Le Mans -13. July: 6 Hours of São Paulo – 7. September: Lone Star Le Mans (6-Stunden-Rennen von Austin) – 28. September: 6 Hours of Fuji – 8. November: Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain |
| Track length Lusail International Circuit: 5.419 kilometers |
| Race start of the ‘1812km of Qatar’: Friday, February 28, 12 noon CET (2 pm local time) |
| Race duration: Ten hours – the points in Qatar are therefore multiplied by a factor of 1.5 |
| Qualifying LMGT3: Thursday, February 27, 3pm – 3:12pm (local time: 5 pm – 5:12 pm) |
| Qualifying Hyperpole LMGT3: Thursday, February 27, 15:20 – 15:30 (local time: 17:20 pm – 17:30 pm) |
| 18 LMGT3 cars from nine different manufacturers will compete against each other in the class – A maximum of two vehicles may be entered per manufacturer |
| All six drivers will be competing in a Mercedes-AMG car for the first time in the FIA WEC |
| Balance sheet prologue car #60: 295 laps, 1593 kilometers |
| Balance sheet prologue car #61: 321 laps, 1734 kilometers |
| This brings the team’s total to 3327 kilometers |
| Maxime Martin set the best AMG time with 1:56:828 |
Mercedes-AMG Performance driver Maxime Martin, who has been part of the AMG line-up since the beginning of the year, already raced in the FIA WEC last season. His experience makes him an important component for Mercedes-AMG.
“The Prologue in Qatar went very well. The championship is new to Mercedes-AMG. Accordingly, we will still learn a lot over the course of the year. We used the 14 hours of testing to find the right balance of the car, to get to know the Goodyear tires, with which AMG does not yet have so much experience in racing, and to understand all the new systems – especially the torque sensors. The first sessions will start on Wednesday. I hope that we will find a good starting position for the race with our package. I can hardly wait to finally start the championship with Mercedes-AMG and Iron Lynx.”
Maxime Martin, Iron Lynx #61
