Mercedes Will Return to Le Mans After a Quarter Century Away

Mercedes Makes WEC Debut in New Link with Iron Lynx Racing

Mercedes will return to the Le Mans 24 Hours for the first time since 1999 as it prepares for its LMGT3 class World Endurance Championship debut with the Iron Lynx team. Mercedes-AMG has not raced in the WEC before, but it has already won both the Spa and Nürburgring 24 Hour races with the venerable AMG GT3 (above).

The move will see a Mercedes on the Le Mans grid for the first time in 26 years since its last entry with the CLR LM-GTP racer, which ended with its cars spectacularly exiting the race in a series of airborne accidents in the 1999 race (below). Mercedes last won the Le Mans 24 Hour as an engine supplier to Sauber in 1989 (bottom). The company had previously abstained from racing at La Sarthe following the tragic events of 1955.

“We Are Returning to Le Mans After 26 Years!”

“It’s no secret that we’ve been very keen for some time to bring the Three-pointed Star back to Le Mans,” Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Head Christoph Sagemuller confirmed. “The 2025 season with the FIA WEC entry is the right moment—we are returning to La Sarthe after 26 years!”

“We are extremely proud to welcome Mercedes-AMG as a partner,” Iron Lynx team principal Andrea Piccini added. “In addition to being an amazing brand, they are highly motivated, determined, and hungry for success.”

The expansion of the WEC grid from 37 to as many as 40 cars, along with a smaller Hypercar entry, has made it possible for Mercedes to join the WEC and return to Le Mans after the Stuttgart carmaker failed to get an entry in 2024.

What Does this Mean for a Mercedes Hypercar?

Iron Lynx raced Lamborghinis in the first year of LMGT3 in 2024. It also ran the Italian brand’s LMDh prototype. Lamborghini has since scrapped its WEC LMDh campaign, leaving Iron Lynx to go the Mercedes route. Lamborghini is understood to have decided on a US IMSA LMDh campaign only for 2025.

Iron Lynx’s relationship with Lamborghini remains unclear. As much as Mercedes-AMG’s appetite for dipping a toe in the WEC Hypercar water with its seemingly made-to-fit One hypercar is subject to speculation. It would likely make commercial sense for Iron Lynx to transfer its Hypercar effort to another brand.

Mercedes-AMG will be the tenth manufacturer with a pair of AMG GT3s in the LMGT3 class. Iron Lynx has confirmed Italians Matteo Cressoni and Claudio Schiavoni as the first drivers for its two AMGs. Mercedes-AMG is also understood to be developing a new GT3 car. To replace the long-serving current car as an in-house project, rather than via partner HWA.

Images: Mercedes-AMG

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