Mercedes-AMG is engaged on a brand new GT3 automotive for buyer and factory-supported racing. It’s going to turn into the primary main product to emerge from the Affalterbach Racing division, which was arrange halfway by way of 2024 as Mercedes introduced an finish to its long-standing relationship with HWA.
The unnamed GT3 challenger is anticipated to be based mostly on the Idea AMG GT Observe Sport, a brand new sportscar that may be a 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. Up to now, solely a handful of photos of the camouflaged highway automotive have been launched.
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What is understood is that work on the successor to the AMG GT3 is already underneath means and that it might be homologated in time for the 2027 season. The brand new automotive is anticipated to function an all-carbon-fibre chassis and a turbocharged V8 engine, however the remainder of the data stays underneath wraps.
“We wish to create a follow-up of our profitable automotive, and we all know that it isn’t straightforward as a result of this automotive may be very profitable and it is nicely balanced – and it is a problem we are going to face,” Mercedes head of buyer racing Stefan Wendl informed Motorsport.com.
“That is why it took us some time to search for the fitting 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 vehicles nonetheless in circulation. It acquired a mid-cycle refresh in 2020, however Mercedes opted towards introducing a second evolution, not like rivals Lamborghini and Audi, which launched two Evo updates for the Huracan and R8 LMS respectively.
It’s based mostly on the first-generation AMG GT (C190) highway automotive, which was itself the religious successor to the gullwing SLS AMG. When Mercedes launched the second model of the AMG-GT in 2023, code-named C192, it was extensively 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 Staff AKKODIS ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3: Raffaele Marciello, Daniel Juncadella, Jules Gounon
Picture by: SRO
As Mercedes works on solely its third-ever GT3 automotive, the dimensions of the duty is underlined by the success of the outgoing mannequin. Since its debut, the AMG GT3 has conquered a few of the largest races on the earth, 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 may have a tricky act to observe.
“It is so profitable that possibly you possibly can take into consideration one other 10 years – to go straight into youngtimer,” Wendl joked concerning the AMG GT3.
“However we have now to keep in mind that there are different vehicles on this paddock that are simply [as old, or] even older. I feel the FIA saved the extent of efficiency very comparable previously 10 years because of the guidelines and the efficiency window all vehicles have to slot in. That is very fixed for the homologation of recent vehicles 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 crucial and also will go into our [current] C190 GT3 automotive. It’s going to 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 discovered this yr.”
Despite the fact that 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 spinoff of a discontinued highway automotive.
Mercedes will spend 2026 growing the brand new mannequin, however it has not revealed whether or not will probably 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 Observe Sport
Picture by: Mercedes AMG
The GT3 panorama has additionally advanced 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 now have 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, kind of. You’ll be able to say the massive races had been being gained by these ones, or at the very least championships [were won by those ones].
“Now we have now a market the place seven, eight, 9 manufacturers are concerned, they usually 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 additionally the groups [have to adapt to them].”
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The event of the brand new GT3 automotive represents a big endeavor for Affalterbach Racing. Motorsport.com reported in November that the transition from HWA to AFR had not been solely easy, with issues over spare components availability for present vehicles within the quick time period.
HWA was greater than only a technical service supplier for Mercedes, having developed a number of fashions and supported its complete buyer racing division for 27 years. The choice to convey these obligations in-house was made by Mercedes-AMG underneath the management of Michael Schiebe, who now serves as a board member of its mother or father firm Mercedes-Benz.
“We based Affalterbach Racing. Will probably be our new growth associate for the long run and take over the work from HWA,” Wendl defined.
“For the shoppers, in the most effective case, it is not going to change an excessive amount of in step one. Within the mid-to-long time period, we wish to enhance our providers.
“As it’s a division owned by AMG, we wish to be nearer to our clients, we wish to enhance our service ranges. We additionally wish to convey all of the learnings which we had on the racetrack, with our engineers on monitor, into the event of recent vehicles for the long run.”
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