Mercedes-AMG is engaged on a brand new GT3 automotive for buyer and factory-supported racing. It’ll turn out to be the primary main product to emerge from the Affalterbach Racing division, which was arrange halfway by means of 2024 as Mercedes introduced an finish to its long-standing relationship with HWA.
The unnamed GT3 challenger is predicted to be primarily based on the Idea AMG GT Monitor Sport, a brand new sportscar that can be part of the second-generation AMG GT in Mercedes’ flagship efficiency line-up.
As one would anticipate from a producer of this scale, Mercedes has been very secretive about its subsequent GT3 providing, providing no agency particulars on specification or timelines. So far, solely a handful of photographs of the camouflaged street automotive have been launched.
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What is thought is that work on the successor to the AMG GT3 is already underneath method and that it may very well be homologated in time for the 2027 season. The brand new automotive is predicted to function an all-carbon-fibre chassis and a turbocharged V8 engine, however the remainder of the information stays underneath wraps.
“We need to create a follow-up of our profitable automotive, and we all know that it isn’t simple as a result of this automotive may be very profitable and it is effectively balanced – and it is a problem we are going to face,” Mercedes head of buyer racing Stefan Wendl instructed Motorsport.com.
“That is why it took us some time to search for the best baseline automotive, which is required to once more create such a automotive with the potential that’s concerned. So we take the time for the event which is critical, and to launch it when it is prepared.”
The present Mercedes-AMG GT3 has been in service since 2016, making it one of many oldest GT3 automobiles nonetheless in circulation. It obtained a mid-cycle refresh in 2020, however Mercedes opted in opposition to introducing a second evolution, in contrast to rivals Lamborghini and Audi, which launched two Evo updates for the Huracan and R8 LMS respectively.
It’s primarily based on the first-generation AMG GT (C190) street automotive, which was itself the non secular successor to the gullwing SLS AMG. When Mercedes launched the second model of the AMG-GT in 2023, code-named C192, it was broadly anticipated {that a} GT3 model would observe. However its 2-2 seating configuration made it unattainable for lively competitors, complicating the seek for a brand new base mannequin.
Winner #88 AMG Workforce AKKODIS ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3: Raffaele Marciello, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon
Photograph by: SRO
As Mercedes works on solely its third-ever GT3 automotive, the size of the duty is underlined by the success of the outgoing mannequin. Since its debut, the AMG GT3 has conquered a few of the greatest races on this planet, together with the 24-hour enduros on the Nurburgring and Spa-Francorchamps, and claimed titles in DTM and GT World Problem Europe. It’s additionally been a formidable race winner throughout the Atlantic within the IMSA SportsCar Championship.
Mercedes is acutely conscious that the brand new automotive could have a troublesome act to observe.
“It is so profitable that possibly you’ll be able to take into consideration one other 10 years – to go instantly into youngtimer,” Wendl joked concerning the AMG GT3.
“However we have now to do not forget that there are different automobiles on this paddock that are simply [as old, or] even older. I believe the FIA stored the extent of efficiency very comparable previously 10 years as a result of guidelines and the efficiency window all automobiles have to slot in. That is very fixed for the homologation of recent automobiles additionally.
“This makes it doable for fairly outdated ideas like this [to remain] aggressive with this quantity of [time], even with minor variations.
“These variations are vital and also will go into our [current] C190 GT3 automotive. It’ll even be barely tailored with minor factors that are within the body of the homologation for the approaching season, to make it extra aggressive, [based on] the issues we realized this yr.”
Although the AMG GT3 stays aggressive, its days are inevitably numbered. With the first-generation AMG GT lengthy out of manufacturing, it now not makes advertising and marketing sense for Mercedes to race a GT3 by-product of a discontinued street automotive.
Mercedes will spend 2026 creating the brand new mannequin, nevertheless it has not revealed whether or not it is going to be prepared for homologation in time for the 2027 season.
“No one has confirmed that subsequent yr would be the final [for the AMG GT3],” Wendl stated.
Idea AMG GT Monitor Sport
Photograph by: Mercedes AMG
The GT3 panorama has additionally developed considerably because the AMG GT3 made its debut a decade in the past. Not solely has the competitors widened, however replace cycles have additionally accelerated. As an example, Ford is rolling out the evo model of the Mustang GT3 in 2026, simply two years after the automotive’s launch.
“We have now had new manufacturers becoming a member of the grid, and types are extra aggressive,” Wendl admitted.
“In case you look again six, eight years, the entire GT3 market was dominated by 4 manufacturers, roughly. You possibly can say the large races have been being received by these ones, or no less than championships [were won by those ones].
“Now we have now a market the place seven, eight, 9 manufacturers are concerned, and so they all have a aggressive {and professional} method. This makes it difficult for everyone.
“Additionally, as Mercedes-AMG buyer racing, we have to adapt to these developments, but in addition the groups [have to adapt to them].”
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The event of the brand new GT3 automotive represents a major enterprise for Affalterbach Racing. Motorsport.com reported in November that the transition from HWA to AFR had not been fully easy, with issues over spare components availability for present automobiles within the brief time period.
HWA was greater than only a technical service supplier for Mercedes, having developed a number of fashions and supported its whole buyer racing division for 27 years. The choice to convey these tasks in-house was made by Mercedes-AMG underneath the management of Michael Schiebe, who now serves as a board member of its guardian firm Mercedes-Benz.
“We based Affalterbach Racing. It is going to be our new growth companion for the long run and take over the work from HWA,” Wendl defined.
“For the shoppers, in one of the best case, it is not going to change an excessive amount of in step one. Within the mid-to-long time period, we need to enhance our providers.
“As it’s a division owned by AMG, we need to be nearer to our clients, we need to enhance our service ranges. We additionally need to convey all of the learnings which we had on the racetrack, with our engineers on monitor, into the event of recent automobiles for the long run.”
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