Report: Mercedes-AMG Feeling Out WEC Hypercar/LMGT3 Entry
According to an article posted by Racer.com, Mercedes-AMG has been preparing for the possibility of entering back into the top flight of prototype racing, with entries not only into the Hypercar/LMDh class with a new prototype machine, but also into the LMGT3 WEC classification.
Multiple industry sources have indicated to RACER that the German OEM has been in talks with key suppliers and rule-makers. While it hasn’t made any formal acknowledgment of a program yet, it would appear that it is taking a serious look at making a return to top-class prototype racing for the first time since 1999.
Going a bit further, the report adds that the space for Mercedes-AMG on the grid could come at the expense of the Lamborghini SC63 program - which could be shelved for some time and open up the space for Mercedes-AMG to fill the gap *as early as next season* for LMGT3 while their Hypercar is developed for a later arrival date:
Currently, much of the WEC paddock rumor mill continues to circulate around the future of Lamborghini in the FIA WEC’s top class. But the reality is that even if the SC63 programme is withdrawn or placed on sabbatical for 2025, there appear to be several routes by which full-season WEC grids can be maintained in the high 30s. Part of the solution – if Lamborghini scales back its program – could be a debut for Mercedes-AMG in the FIA WEC’s LMGT3 class as early as next season.
I mean talk about a bombshell. We already have Aston Martin and Hyundai committed to the Hypercar and GTP classes moving forward, with the Valkyrie arriving in 2025 and the Hyundai Genesis program projected for 2026. The interest from manufacturers continues to explode within the WEC and IMSA, and it seems Mercedes is finally entertaining the idea of re-joining the fun after a 25-year hiatus.
Mercedes hasn't participated in the top flight since 1999 when the insane debacle that was the CLR program occurred at Le Mans when the car flipped and became airborne in spectacular fashion on *three separate instances.* Following the madness, Mercedes-Benz withdrew the car from competition and hasn't made their return to prototype racing since. Now, after all these years it seems that they want back in on the party that is the rapidly-growing sports car scene, and they already have one bullet in the chamber loaded with the amazingly consistent and super popular AMG GT3 Evo, a car that's been winning across all forms of GT racing since 2020. The car would have to be homologated to the LMGT3 standards, but that should be relatively easy to figure out, right? Go through the steps needed and get that thing on the grid pronto.
The way more interesting piece to all of this is - what would the AMG Hypercar look like? Would it be modeled after the Mercedes-AMG ONE, similar to how Aston Martin are adapting the Valkyrie? The M-AMG One is a hybrid racing machine that was molded with plenty of F1 engineering and entered production back in 2022. It's plenty fast - it just broke its own track record by dominating the Nürburgring-Nordschleife when Maro Engel completed the circuit in a blistering 6:29.090, setting a new benchmark for speed and becoming the only road-legal production car to complete the course in under six minutes and 30 seconds. So yeah, plenty fast.
We want to see this happen, fans want to see this happen, and it seems Mercedes wants to see this happen. Their arrival/return to the WEC would push an already competitive grid to even further heights, giving us the potential to see the likes of Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, etc. all duke it out using the most badass prototype machines on some of the world's most legendary circuits. If we thought the last two seasons have been off the chain, imagine what the immediate future can bring? We haven't even begun to peak!
It's almost all too good to be true - GET MERCEDES ON THE GRID!!
(Photo credit via - Pinterest.com)
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