The lesser-trodden path Martin is taking in joining Mercedes-AMG

Following last week’s announcement of his departure from BMW for a second time, decorated sportscar racer Maxime Martin’s move to Mercedes-AMG was announced over the weekend.

“I am extremely happy to start a whole new chapter of my racing history together with the Mercedes AMG Motorsport family,” the Belgian wrote on social media. 

“Joining the team as #MercedesAMG Performance Driver from 2025 will be exciting and I am sure that together we can achieve great things. The journey ahead will be full of challenges, but I am ready and eager to face them. 

“Can’t wait to get to work to contribute to the team’s successes and join forces to achieve our goals, building great moments on track.”

Martin’s likely first outing in his new environment will come at the Daytona 24 Hours in January, after customer squad Getspeed announced that he would be part of its GTD Pro line-up alongside Anthony Bartone, Luca Stolz and Fabian Schiller.

For the 2016 Spa 24 Hours conqueror and 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours GTE Pro class winner during a stint at Aston Martin, joining Mercedes-AMG for a programme that will include racing for new partner squad Iron Lynx in the World Endurance Championship is an intriguing move that bucks a notable trend.

The last time a BMW driver joined Mercedes-AMG was Lucas Auer in 2021, the Austrian rejoining the brand after just one season when the DTM’s Class 1 era collapsed and it became apparent there were no seats at the table for him to continue into its GT3 era.

Perhaps more significantly, although Mercedes-AMG is returning to Le Mans for the first time since 1999 next year with its Iron Lynx LMGT3 class entry, it currently doesn’t have a Hypercar programme.

BMW is among the growing number of brands that do, and Martin was part of the Bavarian marque’s endurance line-up in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2024, contesting Daytona, the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans with its RLL-run GTP team.

Although Jules Gounon remains contracted to Mercedes-AMG, his announcement as part of Alpine’s full-season WEC roster for next year follows the trend of drivers seeking opportunities to go for outright victory in the biggest endurance races.

That also goes some way to explaining why Raffaele Marciello departed the Mercedes fold at the end of 2023 to join BMW.

Under the leadership of Andreas Roos, BMW has become a hotbed of talent in recent years, with Kevin Magnussen its latest high-profile signing after departing the Haas Formula 1 team.

From a crowded scene at BMW, where he spent the last two years in GT World Challenge Europe Sprint alongside Valentino Rossi, Martin’s experience suggests he is set to occupy a central role in Mercedes-AMG customer racing boss Stefan Wendl’s plans. 

#25 BMW Team RLL BMW M Hybrid V8: Maxime Martin

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

The 38-year-old, whose first stint at BMW counted three DTM wins between 2014 and 2017, is sure to be an asset as the manufacturer devises a successor for its current GT3, which started life in 2016, through the newly established Affalterbach Racing GmbH company. 

Alongside Gounon, Martin is also among a minority of Mercedes drivers with Hypercar experience, which would play in his favour should its LMGT3 entry turn into something more in the years to come. 

Mercedes has stated that a provisional roster of 10 drivers “will gradually be extended”. Maro Engel, Maxi Gotz, Ralf Aron, Philip Ellis and Mikael Grenier have been formally retained, along with Gounon, Stolz and Schiller, while Australian young gun Jayden Ojeda has signed as a junior driver.

Motorsport.com’s sister title Motorsport-Total understands that Auer has not yet signed his contract and has therefore not been officially announced as a Mercedes-AMG works driver for 2025. But as things stand, it is assumed that the 2024 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup champion alongside Engel will stay.

Martin’s team-mates at Iron Lynx in the WEC have yet to be announced.

“I have always held Maxime in very high regard,” said team principal Andrea Piccini.

“We have a friendly relationship, and we also had the chance to race together in 2013, finishing second in the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring. He’s a really strong driver, extremely quick, and particularly able to master challenging conditions.

“I have seen him do exceptional things throughout the years without any mistakes, which makes him a top contender, especially in long-distance races. If we add his experience and team-player ability, I honestly think he’s one of the best possible choices for any team, and I’m proud to welcome him to Iron Lynx for the 2025 season.”

Meanwhile, another BMW departure announced in recent days is Bruno Spengler, who won the DTM title for the brand in 2012. 

The Canadian 41-year-old, who joined BMW from Mercedes, had been announced as the head of its new junior programme last month. 

“It was not an easy decision for me to leave the BMW M Motorsport family, but I am at a point in my career where a new challenge with a long-term perspective was important to me,” he said. “That’s why I decided to take this step.”