Iron Lynx will become a new New Mercedes-AMG customer team for a campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in the 2025 season.
The Italian team will field two Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the LMGT3 class in 2025, bringing the German OEM into the WEC for the first time and marking a return to Le Mans for Mercedes Benz for the first time since 1999.
Iron Lynx has completed the switch from Lamborghini, as signposted in DSC’s previous story on the exit of Lamborghini from the WEC for next season.
The Mercedes-AMG GT3 must fulfil special homologation criteria for the LMGT3 class of the FIA WEC including the use of drive shafts with torque sensors and the associated systems development work.
Wind tunnel tests are also necessary to ensure compliance with the mandatory FIA WEC performance window.
Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has already initiated the necessary processes, which will be completed by the start of the new season.
With the FIA/ACO homologation of the Mercedes-AMG GT3, customer cars can now also post entries for the European Le Mans Series, though LMGT3 entries are set to be in short supply once again!
The LMGT3 Homologation also means that the AMG GT3 will now be able to qualify for Le Mans with success in both the Asian Le Mans Series (including the 2024/2025 Series) and IMSA’s WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
ACO’s cooperations with SRO Motorsports Group and IMSA also enable qualification for the
24 Hours of Le Mans by their respective platforms.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been very keen for some time to bring the three-pointed star back to Le Mans,” said Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. “The 2025 season with the FIA WEC entry is the right moment – we are returning to the Sarthe after 26 years!
“Our successful Mercedes-AMG GT3 and the experienced Iron Lynx team is the right pairing and we have set another milestone in our Customer Racing success story.”
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, added: “I would like to thank ACO, FIA and Iron Lynx for the focused discussions. The FIA WEC entry 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 at the endurance classic in Le Mans.”
After taking delivery of the cars, Iron Lynx will begin the preparation and testing phase ahead of the demanding season ahead, which will begin with the traditional FIA WEC Prologue which is scheduled for the 21st and 22nd of February at Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Qatar 1812km race.
The #60 AMG will include Claudio Schiavoni amongst its 3 driver line-up with the sister #61 set to include Matteo Cressoni amongst the crew who shared the #60 Lamborghini in 2024 with Schiavoni.
“We are extremely proud to welcome Mercedes-AMG as a partner,” said Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx Team Principal & CEO. “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 start.
“We cannot wait to receive our new Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 race cars, start our preparation work for 2025, and continue our commitment to the FIA World Endurance Championship and to the 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.”
