Mercedes-AMG to join FIA WEC grid in 2025
Mercedes-AMG will join the FIA World Endurance Championship grid next season, in an exciting new partnership with longstanding entrant Iron Lynx.
The agreement marks Mercedes-AMG’s highly-anticipated FIA WEC debut, with Iron Lynx set to field a pair of the German manufacturer’s customer LMGT3 category cars in what will be the Italian outfit’s fifth consecutive campaign in the series, having achieved three podium finishes to-date, including in the 2021 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Mercedes-powered cars won Le Mans outright in both 1952 and 1989, and in a mouth-watering prospect for motorsport fans, next summer, the three-pointed star will return to La Sarthe for the first time in more than two-and-a-half decades. The Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been one of the benchmark contenders in GT competition in recent years.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been very keen for some time to come back to Le Mans,” acknowledged Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. “The 2025 season with the FIA WEC entry is the right moment. The first FIA WEC season with LMGT3 cars has already been extremely interesting, and we want to bring even more excitement to the field in the future!
“Our successful Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the experienced Iron Lynx team is the right pairing to set another major milestone in our Customer Racing success story. I am already very much looking forward to the new season, and our ‘new start’ at the 24 Hours of Le Mans will certainly be a highlight.”
“I’m very happy that we were able to convince Iron Lynx of the enormous potential of our Customer Racing programme,” added Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing. “An intense co-operation over a short period has already delivered an FIA WEC entry. This is extremely positive news for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing as a whole.
“Homologation of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 for the LMGT3 class means all other customer teams now also have the chance to secure a place on the grid in the endurance classic at Le Mans.”
The team’s first two drivers have already been confirmed, in the shape of former Italian Formula 3 Champion Matteo Cressoni – who has reached the FIA WEC rostrum on no fewer than five occasions and has been a member of the Iron Lynx family since the start – and veteran compatriot Claudio Schiavoni, who was part of the podium-finishing crew at Spa-Francorchamps earlier this year and placed third overall in the LMGTE division of the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) in 2023. Both bring with them a wealth of endurance racing experience.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Mercedes-AMG as a partner,” enthused Iron Lynx Team Principal, Andrea Piccini. “In addition to being an amazing brand, they are highly motivated, determined and hungry for success. With such strong support, I am confident we will be able to hit the ground running and be competitive from the outset.
“We cannot wait to receive our new Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 race cars, begin our preparation work for 2025 and continue our commitment to the FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans. Endurance racing is rooted in our DNA, and FIA WEC is definitely its pinnacle, so we are honoured and excited to be part of it once again.”
The eight-round FIA WEC campaign will get underway with the 1812km of Qatar on 28 February.
