- Lucas Auer and Maro Engel celebrate Jeddah win and overall drivers' championship
- Mercedes-AMG closes successful GT World Challenge Europe season with six titles
- Christoph Sagemüller: "I am incredibly proud of the sixth manufacturers' title in a row."
Lucas Auer (AUT) and Maro Engel (GER) have secured the drivers' championship of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the 6-hour race on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. At the GT premiere in Saudi Arabia, Auer, Engel and their team-mate Daniel Morad (CAN) from Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER took the lead shortly before the halfway point of the race and successfully clinched their first victory of the season in the Endurance Cup after 161 laps. Lucas Auer and Maro Engel had already won the drivers' title in the Sprint Cup and had to make up 15.5 points in the season finale to take home the trophy in the overall standings. If the duo won, their title rivals could finish no higher than fourth. The Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER only had a theoretical chance of winning the team title with a 32-point deficit and 34 championship points up for grabs. With its success on the final race weekend, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach secured the intercontinental manufacturers' title for the sixth time in a row.
Daniel Morad started the 6-hour final race from sixth place in the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3. The start went off without any notable incidents. As the race progressed, individual tyre damage on the 6.174-kilometre street circuit with its many high-speed corners led to several full-course yellow phases. Under the yellow flag, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER proved to have a lucky hand with the timing of the pit stop and initially stayed on the track longer than most of its competitors. As a result, Lucas Auer took the lead shortly before the three-hour mark. As the race progressed, first Auer and later Maro Engel continuously extended their lead. Due to a safety car restart 20 minutes before the end, victory was once again briefly jeopardised. However, Maro Engel showed all his routine under pressure, pulled away at the front and ultimately crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead of 7.971 seconds. In the end, Sprint Cup champions Lucas Auer and Maro Engel also clinched the overall championship with a lead of 2.5 points. Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER secured a respectable runner-up spot in the team standings. The performance of the Winward Racing team this weekend is also particularly noteworthy. After the #48 crashed in Free Practice on Thursday, the team repaired the car within a very short time.
The second Performance GT3 from Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed with Jules Gounon (AND), Fabian Schiller and Luca Stolz (both GER) crossed the finish line in eighth place overall. Ralf Aron (EST), Thomas Drouet (FRA) and Maximilian Götz (GER) were also part of the PRO field with the #9 from Boutsen VDS and finished twelfth overall. Both cars also started the race from their respective positions.
Gold Cup: Second place for AlManar Racing by GetSpeed
Two more Mercedes-AMG GT3s competed in the Gold Cup. Al Faisal Al Zubair (OMA), Dominik Baumann (AUT) and Mikaël Grenier (CAN) in the #777 of AlManar Racing by GetSpeed took second place in their classification and thus their third class podium of the season. Their brand colleagues Michele Beretta (ITA), Arjun Maini (IND) and Jusuf Owega (GER) were also on course for the podium for a long time in the #77 from Haupt Racing Team Rang, but had to retire from the race a few minutes before the end due to a clutch failure.
Silver Cup: Boutsen VDS finishes on the class podium and wins the championship
César Gazeau (FRA), Esteban Muth (BEL) and Aurélien Panis (FRA) from Boutsen VDS took second place in the Silver Cup on the final weekend. This meant the eighth class podium for the #10 Mercedes-AMG GT3 this season. As a result, Gazeau and Panis secured the overall drivers' championship and Boutsen VDS the overall team championship in the Silver Cup. GetSpeed's #3 also competed in the same class, finishing the race in sixth place in the Silver classification.
>> Race result GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Jeddah
Mercedes-AMG celebrates six championships in the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe
The 2024 GT World Challenge Europe concludes with the finale at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. It was another successful year for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing in the prestigious series organised by the SRO Motorsports Group. Seven Customer Racing Teams entered a total of 16 Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the championship, which consists of the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup. With three class victories at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, Mercedes-AMG was honoured as the most successful manufacturer with the "Coupe Du Roi".
The individual successes were rewarded with six titles. In addition to the overall drivers' championship for Lucas Auer and Maro Engel, Boutsen VDS won the overall drivers' and team championships in the Silver Cup with César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis. Three other championships had already been decided before the season finale: In the Sprint Cup, Lucas Auer and Maro Engel of Winward Racing Team MANN-FILTER achieved overall victory in the drivers' standings. The two Mercedes-AMG Performance Drivers won three out of nine races. In the Endurance Cup, Winward Racing with Daan Arrow, Colin Caresani (both NED) and Tanart Sathienthirakul (THA) were crowned champions early in both the drivers' and team classifications of the Silver Cup.
Mercedes-AMG statistics in the GT World Challenge Europe
GT World Challenge Europe 2024: 10 race weekends (5x Endurance Cup, 5x Sprint Cup with 2 rounds each*)
Total titles since 2014: 24 driver and 18 team championships
Overall titles since 2014: 4 driver and 2 team championships
Sprint Cup titles since 2014: 8 driver and 6 team championships
Endurance Cup titles since 2014: 12 driver and 10 team championships
Sprint Cup 2024 successes: 3 victories, 6 podiums, 2 pole positions, 1 fastest lap, 3 class victories
Endurance Cup 2024 successes: 1 victory, 2 podiums, 1 fastest lap, 6 class victories
*Barcelona race 1 not scored due to protest
>> Overall standings GT World Challenge Europe
Intercontinental manufacturers' championship: Mercedes-AMG continues its remarkable winning streak
However, the season was not only successful for Mercedes-AMG on the European continent. For the sixth time in a row, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach secured the intercontinental manufacturers' title, which takes into account overall and class results from all four continental series. The Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing cars won races in the GT World Challenge America, GT World Challenge Asia, GT World Challenge Australia and GT World Challenge Europe. The Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams alone achieved 2,200 of the 20,964 points through their class successes at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Since the introduction of this classification in 2019, Mercedes-AMG has emerged as the winner every year.
Mercedes-AMG statistics in the global GT World Challenge 2024
GT World Challenge America: 12 races, 1 overall victory, 4 class victories, 3 podiums, 3 pole positions
GT World Challenge Asia: 12 races, 1 overall victory, 4 class victories, 6 podiums, 5 pole positions
GT World Challenge Australia: 12 races, 3 championships (Team Sprint Cup AM, Driver Sprint Cup AM, Driver Endurance Cup AM), 2 overall victories, 6 class victories, 7 podiums, 2 pole positions
GT World Challenge Europe: 14 races, 6 championships (Driver Overall, Driver Sprint Cup, Driver Endurance Cup Silver Cup, Team Endurance Cup Silver Cup, Driver Overall Silver Cup, Team Overall Silver Cup) 4 overall victories, 9 class victories, 8 podiums, 2 pole positions
GT World Challenge Overall: 50 races, 10 championships, 8 overall victories, 23 class victories, 24 podiums, 12 pole positions
GT4 European Series: Class victory for NM Racing Team after express repair
The NM Racing Team celebrated a victory in the PRO-AM classification at the final round of the GT4 European Series powered by Rafa Racing Club despite difficult circumstances. The Spanish team's two Mercedes-AMG GT4s were transported to Jeddah by sea freight. Both vehicles suffered severe water damage due to the flood on the Valencian coast at the end of October. This was only discovered on arrival in Saudi Arabia. The hard work of the mechanics, who were able to get both cars ready in time for free practice, paid off. Andy Cantu (ESP) and Charles Dawson (GBR) took their third class win of the season with the #16 Mercedes-AMG GT4 in Saturday's one-hour race.
"I am incredibly proud that we were able to win the intercontinental manufacturers' championship for the sixth time in a row, bringing the title back to Affalterbach. The GT World Challenge enjoys a very high reputation worldwide, which is why this success means so much to us as a brand. Congratulations also to Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and the Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER on their victory and title win in the drivers' championship."
Christoph Sagemüller, Head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport
"I'm delighted that we were able to round off such an exciting GT World Challenge season here with this fantastic overall victory in the race and the overall championship for Lucas Auer and Maro Engel. We chose the right strategy in an exciting, unpredictable race and kept a cool head even during the safety car restart shortly before the end. Thanks to all our Customer Racing Teams worldwide who won the intercontinental manufacturers' championship together with us and regularly demonstrated the consistency and versatility of the Mercedes-AMG GT3."
Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing
"An unbelievable weekend. After the accident on Thursday, we thought our weekend was over. But then the guys did an incredible job. The race went perfectly. The fact that it was enough to win the overall title in the end is the icing on the cake. I am very happy and proud of what we have achieved with the Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER this year. Many thanks to everyone!"
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48
"First place is an incredible result. The performance was top, the car was top and my team-mates Daniel and Maro also did a fantastic job. Thanks to the team, the mechanics and of course to Mercedes-AMG. It's a great end to this successful season. And the fact that we have also been rewarded with the overall drivers' championship is simply a wonderful feeling."
Lucas Auer, Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER #48
"It felt good to be back in the car after a seven-week break. Nevertheless, it was another difficult weekend for us, from which we had expected more. After a tough qualifying session, we got into the race quite well, but got stuck in traffic. In the end, we were also unlucky with the full-course yellow phase because we stopped shortly beforehand and lost sixth place as a result."
Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #2
"It's not the result we were hoping for. The 55-second penalty for a pit stop that was too short set us back a long way. But looking back, it was a good season, considering that it was the first year for Boutsen VDS with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. We never gave up as a team and I believe we will still have a lot of fun in the future."
Maximilian Götz, Boutsen VDS #9
"I really enjoyed my first season with Mercedes-AMG. Of course, we were also very successful. Many pole positions, podiums and victories. In the end, we would also have liked to have achieved a better result at the season highlight in Spa. The team did a great job and I'm already looking forward to the future."
César Gazeau, Boutsen VDS #10
"It's great that we finished second in class today and therefore also second in the championship. Even though, of course, you have to bear in mind that the title could theoretically have been ours. We struggled a bit in qualifying, but we had good pace in the race. We can be satisfied with the season. The highlight was definitely our class victory in the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps."
Mikaël Grenier, AlManar Racing by GetSpeed #777
"The whole season was a rollercoaster ride. We had good races, but also the odd disappointment. Nevertheless, we have achieved a few podiums and even a win. So we can be satisfied. Thanks to the Haupt Racing Team and Mercedes-AMG. I had a lot of fun this year, even though I would have liked to win the championship."
Arjun Maini, Haupt Racing Team #77
"I am happy to have found a new family with GetSpeed and my team-mates. I will definitely remember this season. The class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa was probably the greatest day of my career. Now we are focussing on the Asian Le Mans Series, which starts next week."
Anthony Bartone, GetSpeed #3
