Factory driver Maro Engel has set several records with the Mercedes-AMG One on the Nurburgring. Now he’s broken his record and dipped under the magic barrier of 6:30 minutes.
The Mercedes-AMG One was unveiled in June 2022, with a three-year delay and 55 years after AMG was founded.
Ola Kallenius, Mercedes’s boss, was very honest when he said “I think we were drunk when we approved this project”. The Mercedes-AMG One was supposed to hit the market in the autumn of 2019, but adapting the F1 engine to increasingly tough emissions rules and to the idle speed of a “civilian” engine raised some hurdles that seemed impossible at that moment.
275 customers paid a deposit and waited three years for the 2.75 million euros-plus tax hypercar. But the wait was worth it. The Formula 1 street hypercar proved incredibly fast.
On October 28, 2022, with factory driver Maro Engle behind the wheel, the Mercedes-AMG One covered the 20.832 km long loop of the Nurburgring circuit in 6:35.183 minutes. This record was homologated and the Mercedes-AMG One became the fastest production car, 8 seconds faster than the Porsche 911 GT2 RS with Manthey Performance kit.
This record was achieved in October when the track conditions were not ideal. Although the air and asphalt temperature was an optimal 20 degrees, there were areas of the circuit that were not completely dry. “Two years ago, the conditions were not ideal, and some sections of the track were still a little damp. We knew we could do more, and we wanted to show that. Today we were able to demonstrate the maximum potential of the AMG ONE. Many thanks to the whole team from Affalterbach for the trust they’ve placed in me. It was a great pleasure and honor to be able to drive this record lap with such a unique car.
It was also a challenge to manage the plug-in hybrid system and use the DRS system in the best possible way.
Engel therefore felt that the time could be improved under ideal conditions and together with AMG decided to try again. The record attempt took place on September 23, 2024, under better weather conditions. The air temperature was 15 degrees, the asphalt 20 degrees, and the asphalt was completely dry allowing perfect grip in all areas.
At 6:56 pm on the third timed lap, Maro Engel clocked a time of 6:29.090 minutes and the Mercedes-AMG One became the first production car to drop below the magical 6:30 minute barrier. Like two years ago, the biggest challenge was managing electricity along the 20-kilometer-long circuit and recovering energy when braking after the straights to store it in the battery for later reuse on acceleration phases.
The record was certified by a notary and TUV Rheinland confirmed that the car was the standard version.
For the record attempt, the maximum camber values within the delivery tolerance were selected and, surprisingly, Maro Engel used the Race Plus program and not the sportiest program, Strat 2. Race Plus is dedicated exclusively to the circuit like Strat 2 and the suspension is lowered by 37 mm at the front and 30 mm at the rear. The difference is that in Strat 2 the suspension is even firmer. In Race Plus, the DRS system is activated from a button on the steering wheel and it retracts the front louvers on the wings as well as the upper aero element of the two-stage rear wing, reducing drag and allowing higher speeds on the fast sections of the circuit. The record-breaking car came with standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R MO Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires and ceramic disc brakes.
You can see the full lap here.
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