From DNFs to Bahrain podium: Inside Mercedes’ turbulent first WEC season

Key Highlights

• The deal between the two parties was agreed over a matter of weeks after last year’s Bahrain round, but this left the pair racing against time to convert the car to LMGT3 regulations, especially with the season start pushed forward to February. An intensive development phase followed, as Mercedes worked to introduce drive shafts with torque sensors, change engine maps and reprogram the ECU for the WEC.
• While prior work on torque sensors for the IMSA SportsCar Championship offered a boost, numerous other changes were necessary, including wind tunnel testing.
• It wasn’t until 9 February that the cars were ready at HWA’s facility in Germany, less than two weeks before the official ‘Prologue’ test.
• Mercedes conducted a quick rollout at Hockenheim on 10 February before flying the two AMG GT3s to Qatar for the official test and the season opener.“It was less than one year when [Iron Lynx team principal] Andrea [Piccini] and Giacomo [Piccini] contacted me for the first time,” Mercedes’ head of customer racing Stefan Wendl told Motorsport. com in Bahrain. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“It was hard to get what was needed to be in this professional environment.
• It was a huge challenge.