24h Le Mans
This season, the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans welcome a new partnership to the LMGT3 field: Iron Lynx and Mercedes-AMG. The Italian outfit has joined forces with the German manufacturer to bring two new Mercedes-AMG LMGT3s to the grid. An ambitious alliance that marks Mercedes’ return to Le Mans after more than a quarter of a century.
A regular name on GT and LMP2 rosters, Iron Lynx has opted to take up a new challenge in 2025 with Mercedes-AMG. After running Ferraris from 2020 to 2022, followed by a Porsche 911 RSR-19 in 2023 and a Lamborghini Huracán LMGT3 Evo2 in 2024, the Italian formation has turned to Mercedes for this LMGT3 programme with the firm aim of showing its credentials and winning races.
Andrea Piccini, Iron Lynx Team Principal and CEO: "We are very satisfied with how the driver lineup has shaped up, and for the positive collaboration that we have established so far with Mercedes-AMG as we prepare for this new programme. So far we have really enjoyed working on the process and preparations."
Iron Lynx has brought together a mix of experienced drivers and talented youngsters for the project. The #60 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 will see Claudio Schiavoni and Matteo Cressoni continue together for a fifth FIA WEC season. They will be joined by the former Lamborghini Hypercar driver Matteo Cairoli (eight 24 Hours of Le Mans starts).
In sister car #61, Christian Ried will make a full-time return to the championship after taking a back seat in 2024. The record holder for the number of FIA WEC starts will partner Mercedes-AMG works driver and GT stalwart Maxime Martin. Eighteen-year-old Dutch hope Lin Hodenius completes the line-up.
Regarding these strategic choices, Piccini said: “On the one hand, we will continue with the experienced combination of Claudio and Matteo, and we will add Matteo Cairoli, a really quick driver with a wealth of FIA WEC experience. On the other hand, we will bring back the driver with the most starts in the series, Christian Ried, pairing him with a young racer entering his rookie season, Lin Hodenius. He was extremely impressive straight away in testing and we selected him among all potential candidates despite his young age and limited endurance racing experience. Joining him and Ried, Maxime Martin will provide incredible value. In addition to being a long-time friend, he is one of the world’s strongest competitors in endurance racing.”
This programme marks the eagerly awaited return of Mercedes-AMG to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With their last official entry dating back to 1999, the German manufacturer hopes to make a stunning impact with the Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The Iron Lynx cars will sport special liveries that pay tribute to the historic colours of the team and Mercedes-AMG.
Iron Lynx and Mercedes-AMG hold lofty ambitions for the FIA WEC 2025 season and especially its showcase event, the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11–15 June).
